Having scoured the "village" for his cousin and not finding him Kenzo's desire to explore got the better of him and he started to wander into the forest, making sure to keep the sea within sight. The terrain favored here seemed to favor him and he hoped that would carry through the whole of the island. Spotting a tree with low branches he climbed it, hoping to get a better view of his surroundings but found the canopy to be too thick. "I should remember to ask someone about snakes."

"They're up there." Came a voice below, snickering. "The snakes, I mean. The whiny Phoenix keeps saying we shouldn't kill them though. She doesn't want us upsetting the balance."

Underneath the tree, walking up, was Kasai. His long hair was bound in a braid and wrapped once around his neck to keep it from catching on too many things. "Better watch out though. I've heard that there are bats and even venomous birds lurking around here. Wouldn't want to get bitten now would you?"

Spotting his landing first Kenzo dropped down, bouncing slightly as he landed. "Venomous birds? Good advice thank you." He bowed. "An honor to meet you cousin, I am Daidoji Kenzo, formerly of the scout company of the second army and just arrived explorer." He smiled ear to ear.

"Daidoji Kasai, now of the Emperor's Explorers. Pleasure is all mine, other Daidoji-san." He returned the bow with a bit of a literal fiery flare around him before straightening up. "What brings you out here though? View from home got boring or something?"

Kenzo grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head. "Ha-a, well I got sloppy and the cat scratched me. One of my terrain improvements claimed someone close to a Matsu Shireikan and I fell into an ambush. I got away, the Doji did there thing kami bless them and now I am here. I imagined on the trip here that it would only be until the Lion forget me and I could return to my work anonymously but now that I am here and see this place I think I could stay around for a bit and help out. Not sure if my particular skills will be of use here but I I know how to pick through a forest. I suppose you are the ranking Crane here yes? I haven't seen or heard of any others here. How do you find yourself here?"

"Ahh-haaa. Terrain improvement. Gotcha." He nodded some, chuckling faintly. "I'm in a bit of a similar situation. According to my superiors, I went a little overboard when on a patrol mission. Apparently when the Lion raze Crane villages to the ground, it's okay because it's the Lion and everyone expects them to do it, but when I, heaven's forbid, raze a couple of Lion villages to the ground, it leaves a stain on the white reputation of the Crane." He rolled his eyes like he was the victim here and not the peasants in the villages. "So the Lion started complaining. Got a few other clans involved. Now I'm here. Though yes, the ranking Crane until they send someone bigger over."

He looked sympathetic and a bit angered by the story he heard. "Well I am at your disposal, is there anything you need me to know? How is our disposition?

"Friendly and helpful is what's wanted here from us. Want to look good in the eyes of the Imperials and what not. Kissing ass and being the well-behaved little Crane they all expect. Thankfully the Lion here aren't as bad so it's easy to keep tempers down. Most of them are on patrol at any given moment. The Akodo keeps them working and the old guy himself doesn't do much other than crack his joints when he tries to walk." He paused, tapping his chin. "But to know though? We can't let the Lion take control of the Lion. If we can't get it, then we make sure it at least goes to anyone but them. We do want a port for our family here though. Trade deals and all."

Kenzo nodded in understanding. "Give me a pack and I will head out now, we will find the islands secrets before they finish polishing their armor." his smile never waivered. "Or am I here to set up some of my terrain improvements to slow things down?" He didn't think was really the case but couldn't rule it out.

He shook his head. "Can't. Head out there on your own and you're likely to never come back. It's... unfortunate, really. It would be better to find them before the others, but the island seems dead-set on making us actually work together. As for the terrain improvements, this island would turn into a blood bath if we all started trying to murder each other and a free-for-all deal like that would be good for no one, especially if word gets out on who started it."

he nodded again. "I'm not sure if I have the particular skills needed for this place then. There was a Scorpion on the boat who didn't make a sound the entire time so I'm far from the sneakiest. I will of course do whatever is asked, I'm just eager to do something. A couple weeks on the mend." He gestured to his eye. "Followed by the trip here I haven't felt this out of shape in years and while I would love to just go hang out on the beach I don't want to make the Crane look lazy or worthless. Do we have any allies here or is it just us right now?"

He arched a brow. "Keep an eye on that one then. If he shows off his skills that boldly and all the time then he needs to be watched. No doubt the damned Scorpion are up to something. Or maybe he's here to off-set that other weird one. The moth wanna be." That's when he waved a hand dismissively. "Don't worry. Your talents will definitely come in handy and if you want to keep working out and doing something then hang with the Unicorn. They're often doing small ventures about this far in to look for any useful trails or even places to gather some extra food. Your traps will come in handy for the hares around this place and I'm sure we'd all like something more than fish. Easy way for you to gain some positive reputation at a low and easy cost."

"As for allies, not so much, but neither does anyone else."

"Well that's good at least and I will certainly seek out the Unicorn if only to continue our relationship with them. I had a very good conversation with the Miya yojimbo Akari this morning and she seems pleasant. I plan on seeking out the Kaiu as well at her suggestion. I'm sure there is a lot a trap-maker can learn from an engineer. Should I be expecting an expedition or patrol soon or will the leadership want to test the new arrivals first?"

"I think it'll be a few days before another expedition is launched. Letting everyone settle in and what have you. Maybe a few tests, but likely not. Better to trust in the judgement of the clans and see what their samurai can do out in the field." He said before nodding. "Good to hear that you're already making friends. Keep up the good work or whatever people say to give praise." He shrugged some.

Kenzo laughed. "Not used to being in command or not fond of it? If you have any questions for me, either about myself or perhaps things n the mainland I happy to try and answer them for you."

"Both. Those in command rarely get to see the battlefield and it's my favorite place to be." He grumbled. "Question time though? You hear if we were going to get any better food? Some more chicken and vegetables would be nice instead of just fish, fish, rice, the occasional egg, and then more fish."

Well as you can imagine most of what I saw on the boat was rice but then I didn't spend much time below deck, the sea sickness really did a number on the people who stayed down there. I definitely heard some chickens and it smelled like a heard of goats was down there but I never heard any. it isn't REALLY food but I have a small pouch of mint leaves, a sailor once told me that they were good for getting the taste of the sea out of your mouth and they worked well. If things are that bad here though I have a distant cousin on the trading council I could write to, I'm sure we could we could work something out...on a completely unrelated in any way topic I hear there are pearls to be dove for." His wink was completely lacking in subtlety and he knew it but trusted their anonymity out here in the bush.

He shook his head. "The boat trip over here was the worst part of this entire expedition. So many samurai don't have sea legs and it left the entire boat smelling worse than the slums of any major city. Though, the goat smell was probably due to the Dragon that came along with you. Either them or the Unicorn, but we haven't had too many new ponies show up yet. Odd, since I'd thought they'd dominate the island, but that seems to not be the case so far."

Then he paused and arched a brow. "Diving for pearls? Can't say I've heard it called that before, but the wink drives home what it might be. There are a wide range of people on this island and with the selection of people highly limited, I can imagine the drama and shared beds that are to happen here. Still, I'm certain that Miya-sama wants this to not turn into some Tortoise den of debauchery so I think as long as everyone is subtle about it and not doing something like making out on the beach, it should be fun for all."

Kenzo tried to stifle a laugh but couldn't. "No, no I meant actual pearl diving, someone told me there were pearls to dive for off the coast."

He regained his composure but kept his broad smile.

"Though there were some real jewels on the boat over here with me, this could be a highly entertaining stay for someone looking to put a few notches on their netsuke but anyone who rushes into that sort of thing is a horny fool. We're all stuck together on this island, plenty of time to make mistakes. Right now I just want to get into that forest."

"Oh yes, which is why I am waiting to see the fires. People are going to rush head first into these things, go sleep with someone else in this limited supply, and then depending, the first person could get jealous." He chuckled. "It's going to be magnificent."

Then he tapped his cheek, thinking. "I suppose diving for pearls could work and be nice. Makes you wonder how many people would then use those pearls to make jewelry for their flings."