Apr 26 22:38:10 105 PA

From Chronicles

Sun Apr 26 22:38:10 105 PA (10.67C, 51.21F):

Dr. Kelley is seated at a round table inside the foyer of Happy Days Inn, just outside of the Silver Fork. Seems that the Fork has installed an 'outdoor' cafe for those who either want a more spacious environment, or those who just don't want to give up their weapons. In any case, the extremely tall man is seated in front of a vanilla sundae, and he certainly seems to be enjoying it. He has a pile of papers with various schematics drawn on them, and another pile with geologic reports. However, both seem forgotten at the moment, as he enjoys his ice cream - his one weakness.

Coming into the inn, and having heard there's at least a decent cafe or resautrant type place here, Hamamoto stesps through the door. There is ben a lack of actual quality food prep service places and it has annoyed the smaller man. But the only signs he showed were a narrowing of the eyes. At last though, he comes in, looks around, and walks to one of the other tables, straight and gliding as if it were natural.

Looking up as the bell jingles on the front door of Happy Days, Kelley spots the short Hamamoto enter the room and sit down at another table. Gathering his papers and placing them in a satchel, he grabs his sundae bowl and walks over to the other man's table. Setting his ice cream down, he offers a deep, proper bow to the Japanese man, picked up from years of experience in the Japanese isles. "It is good to see you again, Mr. Hamamoto. May I sit?" he asks.

"It would be rude of me to refuse such a polite request, learned one." He then stands up and then offers him a seat with a gesture. "I find these chairs most...comfort-not. But, there is something for not sitting on your legs too." He then smiles a little. "What can I do for you today, um..." He then frowns a little. "..Kelley-san?" He then frowns. "I know not the...polite way to address someone by name in America."

"Well," Dr. Kelley says, "there are many ways to address people in North America. My people address one another by our clan name - in this case, that would be Kelley. Our personal names are held sacred to us, and given only to those whom we trust and love. But that is just the way of my people. Most Americans use first names or given-names, such as Robert, or Atticus, or Aimee. But that should cover the name explanation of names." Kelley smiles and accepts the proffered seat. "May I buy you anything?" he asks. "Their ice cream is delicious."

"I will try this ice cream stuff." He then nods softly. "It is not of the names in which I speak. There...there are...um...titles. Like san and sama, chan, and kun. These denote...um...age, and wisdom. Different...levels. Or status in...society. Its like...um...you are called a doctor. And yet, most people aren't. Correct?"

"Oh, now I see," Kelley says. "Yes, I am called "doctor" because I have completed extensive scholastic training. Others are called "doctor" because they have extensive training in medicine. Commonly though, you only use the titles, "mister" for a common man, "miss, mizz, or missus," for a common woman, dependent upon her marital status. In passing, you would use the terms, "sir" for a man, or "lady" for a woman. I'm sure that it seems very complicated, and I admit, that my favorite language is not American. It has far too many solid rules to follow, and does not flow in an attractive manner."

"It is true that while American, or English as we know it, is not...a flowing language, that when you are in the place where it is spoken, you better know how to speak it, or have some way to at least understand." He then frowns in thought and leans back. "You spoke of the three titles of a woman. As it relates to marital status. In which does each...um...what does each...stand for?"

Kelley thinks for a moment, before explaining, "Miss refers to an unmarried woman who has not been married before. 'mizz' commonly refers to a single woman who has been married but is no longer married - however, it can also be used in place of 'missus' which refers to a married woman. More 'feminist' woman prefer the term 'mizz' to 'missus' as they feel that it is not pigeonholing them into the 'typical' role of a married woman. Does that make any sense?"

"Yes, there seems to be some need on determining the status of a woman in this culture." He then rubs his chin. "Probably the fact that there is not arranged marriages." He then adjusts his swords to sit a bit better. "So, the titles are in front of the name, instead of trailing..." He seems to puzzle that a moment. "Why would there be a need to determine, however, whether a woman has married or not? Unless this...mizz...is more a way of grouping anyof the rest into a third?"

With a scratch of his chin and a moment of contemplation, Kelley slowly says, "Well, yes, mizz is a way of grouping women together as a whole, but personally I find it more useful to apply miss or missus to a woman, acknowledging their marital status instead of hiding from it. I personally feel - and this is just personal - that women who apply the tital of mizz to themselves are trying to hide from their marital status. But that's just a theory of mine."

There is a nod of his head at that, and he seems to ponder it. "I thany you for the corrections to my...um...speaking." He then nods his head. "I didn't ask what you do...duty-wise, here. I am not quite sure the purpose of this...umm city is?" He then looks around. "I not know tech at all. I am not...sure what...people do here."

"People do lots of things here, Hamamoto. I run an excavation and mining company, and I also work at NewTech on some very high-tech technology. You'd hate it, I'm sure," Kelley says with a friendly wink. "But there are all manner of people who work here. I'm sure that just like Japan, we have people from all walks of life, from drug addicts to warriors to scholars and everything in between. Are you looking for employment inside the city?"

"No, I cannot work. It is against the code of honor I follow. A warrior must not get paid for what he does. He must give freely, and totally." He then smiles a little. "No, not the purpose of the people inside the city. They purpose of the city itself. Is this citty a center of commerce? A government city, or political, is it for defense, or offense?"

"Oh, that's a much more difficult question, Mr. Hamamoto. This city is a crossroads. Everything meets here. It is both for defense for its citizens and the surrounding countryside, and offense against the Coaltion States that would seek to dominate it. It is also a center of commerce for this part of North America. While it does not govern the surrounding areas per se, it is certainly political in its own right. I'm sure that this is very confusing, as Japanese cities tend to have single purposes, but in North America, the people native to it tend to multi-task," Kelley says with a smile.

"It is the lack of a unifying belief, I think, that causes the people to not unite. There is nothing to...um...hold people together. There is no...common ground. Everything is...mixed up. People are confused. Confused people think of themselves. People thinking of themselves do not think of a greater whole. Those that do, however, are stronger."

"I agree that people thinking of themselves to do not see the greater whole. But I disagree that there is nothing to hold the people together. I believe that is is, in fact, their differences that hold them together, as each depends on another for something else. It is not an essentially evil town; it is essentially a good city, with a few misfits thrown in.

"I do not think differences, or a lack of belief makes a town evil, Kelley-san. On the contrary, selfish people, while can be evil, often have more than their share of good people. Differences cannot unite a town, however, no matter the well wishers thinking. The differences will always divide them. It is like a Samurai who hesitates in his swing. He will be a coward and die for it."

Well, I disagree with you, Mr. Hamamoto, but certainly we can come to a gentleman's disagreement on the subject?" He laughs at his own play on words. "What brought you to Kingsdale, Mr. Hamamoto? Did you not know of the city's history before you arrived?"

"Oni." He says, clipping the word short with his anger. "The Oni...um...warlord. Um...command...person. Oni are...well you know. My lord fought in the battle to repel Oni attack. I was summoned to lead troops to battle. I fought with honor, never hesitating. New Empire...unified, against Oni. No...major differences. Oni had...um priest. Being who...uses magic. Open glowing thing, Oni Command...coward. I chase, I fought. I...was here when defeated him."

"So you just stayed here after the battle was done? Weren't you interested in exploring the land? I have been on almost every continent on this planet and and been to countless galaxies and dimensions among the Megaverse. After learning, my love is exploring. You never got that itch, Mr. Hamamoto?" Kelley asks.

"It does not matter if I have this 'itch' or not. I msut find a way to return to my lord, and continue to serve him, or be Ronin. I cannot abandon my duty. I must...represent my lord here. I must...return home. And yet, you require this credits. I have very few. I start farm. Have people work. Will fight for what I believe until I can return."

"It's good to fight for what you believe in, Mr. Hamamoto. Very admirable. What do you mean by 'you require this credits'?"

"Um...people say...they can...send me home. Magic peoples. Not know the word. They say they need credits to do so. I can no earn credits. My code will not allow it. Am allowed gifts, and am allowed to claim battlefield loot. Yet only in respect that I must fight honorably. I can rule, but not...um...be farmer." <re>

"I understand, Mr. Hamamoto. I did live with your people for a time. Still, it is very alien to both North America and from where my people come from. Your beliefs are.. strange to us. But my beliefs are just as strange to the North Americans as are yours. I have simply had to modify my beliefs to fit in with their beliefs. It doesn't take anything away from myself, it only enhances them," Kelley says.'

"If I abandon the code, I might as well become Ronin now, and forsake my lord, never to return home. If I am to walk the path of the Samurai, I must follow the code, even when no one is there except myself. I must, live with myself, must I not?" He then looks at the man. "There is no modification, there is no change. I will walk my path."

Kelley offers a short, seated bow. "I respect your integrity, Mr. Hamamoto. It is uncommon to find one such as yourself. My people, we have our code, but we seek to fit in and hide amongst the commoners, giving assistance where we can, quietly, without being noticed. Part of our code is to help humans in the cause of life and freedom, which so many of them have forgotten."

"You know of my people. You know the desperate struggle that we face. We cannot waver in our determination. The Samurai must be strong of mind and body. We must not be afraid to cut and fight when we need to. Our lords hold responsibility to ensure that our lives are not wasted. Our people must trust that we will not kill them needlessly in senseless battles. We are given a trust of the people by the Gods. We must uphold it, even when a world, or a universe, is between us."

"Well said, Mr. Hamamoto, well said. It seems that we both fight a similar battle, just from different directions."

"From necessity, I imagine. Our ancestors rarely make requirements of future generations if it weren't." His ice cream arrives, and he sort of looks at it a bit funny. There is a spoon in it. He then picks up the spoon, and takes a bit out of the ice cream, and pops it into his mouth, and just swallows.

Kelley smiles at the much shorter man. "Mr. Hamamoto, if I may be so bold, you should allow yourself to savor the ice cream's flavor, for two good reasons. First of all, just for the pleasure of it - second of all, because if you eat it too quickly, you'll get what is referred to as a 'brain freeze' which is temporary, but quite painful."

"I see. There is supposed to be savoring?" He looks a little puzzled at the word. "It is not merely eaten?" He then looks at it once more, then pushes it away. "You take it. Its too sweet."

"I'll not take the chance to enjoy another bowl of ice cream!" Kelley says. "I love this stuff. And when you get it with hot chocolate, and caramel and whipped cream.. oooh" he shudders dramatically. "That's good stuff. As he shovels a piece of his own sundae into his mouth, he asks, are you an archer, Mr. Hamamoto?"

"As a Samurai, I am trained in the art of using a bow, and in ways most are not taught to do." He then looks around a bit more. "Are all north American dishes very sweet? I noticed quite a few are." He then frowns a little. "I am not used to such sweet things. Makes me almost ill."

Kelley laughs. "No, not all dishes are sweet. Have you had escargot? Frog's legs? Or more accurately.. teriyaki chicken? The Silver Fork makes an excellent T-Chicken that you might actually find palatable."

"There is such things. I think I would like that instead. A nice dish of teriyaki chicken." He then looks to the tall man. "What is involved in this...company that you speak of?"

Kelley looks at the smaller man quizzically, having gotten lost in the man's skittering conversation. "Are you talking about the excavation and mining company, Mr. Hamamoto, or NewTech? Or something else? I'm afraid that I must admit that I've gotten lost."

"Both. You spoke of a gem and excavation. What is that? And this NewTech? I imagine it relies on tech. So, I am unfamiliar with what they might produce." He then folds his hands in his lap, as if he were sitting on his feet.

"Ah, well, the first is my own company, owned and operated by yours truly. We work mostly to the south of Kingsdale, supplying the city with building materials. We also have a few mines to provide quantities of gems to the techno-wizard and jewelry community. I'm very proud of it. The other company, NewTech, I'm the senior scientist, along with a sentient automaton named OPSaDOS. We research high-tech items and produce weapons, armor and such. I don't know if you'd be interested, but we've come out with a line of very powerful and relatively inexpensive environmental armor. 'Carapace' as it's called, in both 75- and 100-point models. I must admit, I'm very proud of all the work that I do. I feel that it helps the humans out." Kelley looks fatherly down at the shorter man.

"No, it is of the 'tech' and I must refuse. Tech is what caused the cataclysm, and the devastations. We must avoid the use of tech, for the gods will punish us again." He then bows his head and does a little gesture to placate the spirits. "I do not grasp some of your words. Techno-wizard? And sentient? Auto...auto...matt on? Environ...mental?"

Dr. Kelley says, "Techno-wizard. Someone who channels their magic energy through gems and uses it to power machines. It is a melding of technology and magic, which I imagine you would find particularly perverse." Kelley arches an eyebrow and waits for a response before continuing. "Sentient just means that it has a mind of its own; it can think like a human. Automaton, well, means that it can get around on its own. And environmental armor just means that you can live inside of the armor even when conditions are unfavorable, such as underwater, or in a noxious gas environment."

Well, he seems to be struggling with the concepts, but then nods. "I will have to meditate on the purity of this techno-wizard...devices. Perhaps it is a perversion. Perhaps it is a purifying." He then nods softly. "Thank you, you have given me some things to consider."

Kelley rises to leave. "Thank you, Mr. Hamamoto, for an enjoyable discussion, I hope to be seeing you again soon."

Hamamoto rises with him, adn then bows slightly. "Now, I must eat before I go to the farm." He then sits back down once again.

Bowing in response, Kelley says, "Well met, Mr. Hamamoto. Until we meet again." Tags:hamamoto, kelley