The Midnight Prince

[Rokag]

"Wait, so you actually fight demons? Like the ones people sell their souls to for power or wealth?" Rokag looked at her skeptically. "I thought that was just stories they told on the Shore to keep people from trying to get to the islands." She was talking about the tales that the waters were protected by demons that would drag you under the lake and steal your soul, making you forever push the islands in their Dance.

[Shisou]

"Far as I can tell, those are just tales," she says, with a chuckle. "But the Cicada family traces back to Zanon. So there are summoners, and sometimes their summons get loose."

[Rokag]

"Good for them." Rokag looked out at the water. Because of course it's something that's always going to come back to."Just...I know at least one of them isn't that bad, but everyone's obsessed with that kinda thing. Not like that makes you much better."

[Shisou]

"With.. what kind of thing?" she asks, hesitantly.

[Rokag]

Rokag sighed. "The family thing. It all comes down to what a bunch of people did before you rather than anything you CAN..." She sighs. "Never mind. That's...it doesn't matter."

[Shisou]

Soushi is quiet a moment. "What other system would there be?" she asks, after a moment. "I mean.. does anyone on the material plane not love their family? Not want to bring honor to them? Not want to be accepted?"

[Rokag]

"Not everyone HAS one!" And there's the silence that comes after an outburst like that. Rokag was already feeling like shit from the fucking dressing up and the damned gossip and how everyone was just so obsessed about their fucking families, that when someone DOESN'T have one, they just...decide they must be scum. That this was their punishment for some wrong-doing that they don't even KNOW what it was, but it must have been terrible.

Rokag had the presence of mind to color slightly at the outburst. "Look, I'll just....head back to shore. Gotta sneak back into the damned barracks anyway."

[Shisou]

"I'm sorry," says Soushi-hime, a moment later, her tone gentle, as she looks out over the water. "I didn't know."

[Rokag]

Rokag is silent for a moment. "Of course you didn't. Most of the barracks just kinda assumes I'm not from here and that I'm just sticking around to curry some favor and don't want to embarrass myself by doing all their shit wrong. If they all knew THAT, I'd be the one feeding the tigers, since no one would worry about if my family was some kinda other noble line." She HATED thinking about this, but even the 'help' she got from the others would probably disappear if everyone knew she didn't KNOW her family name. Her mother had mentioned it once, but that 'it wouldn't be important till she was older' and then she was gone and she didn't HAVE something with that on it.

"So far there's only been a person that decided to give me any kind of help and I'm pretty sure even HE would have hesitated if he knew that."

[Shisou]

"I'll help you," she says quietly. "What do you need? I know you have work, a place to stay, food -- what's missing?"

[Rokag]

"It's.." Rokag frowned a moment, trying not to yell again. What...has SHE actually done. If you're going to yell and rant about how people act, then it's shit to do the same thing. "Not something like that. It should be fine. I'm not starving, I have actual bedding and food. I don't know why it's still...why I still feel trapped. As much as I hate the face pain, the yukatas and that fucking smiling, it's...it's not where I was."

Rokag sighs. "Why am I telling you this? You don't even know me and even IF I patched you up once, this isn't your problem."

[Shisou]

"I help people. It's what I do," she says, gently. "You feel.. trapped? Do you need.. we can try to get you work on a boat instead?"

[Rokag]

"Most boats don't want women aboard. Fishing boats make the most, but aren't going to let me on and they always ask what family. It's a way to 'make sure we don't have any cheats trying to get by.'" Rokag scoffed at the idea of it. "Best I ever managed was catching some of my own fish and selling what I could to jewelers. And that only worked as long as it wasn't anything too 'tough' for me to have caught."

[Shisou]

"You could disguise yourself as a man," she offers. 

[Rokag]

"I..." It would mean that I could have a fucking weapon on me and not have to wear...ANY of that crap. Rokag pauses, but shakes her head. "That's...probably not going to last long if I tried. I...If I think of anything, I'll write a message and leave it somewhere, okay?"