Kaiu Kyo was unhappy. It was a wild understatement, but it worked. The words coming out of her mouth as she marked the few holes in what she thought was sturdy wood were colorful and enough to make even a Mantis blush at their intensity. No Fortune was spared their name and some subsequent part of their anatomy being talked about, and some family founders were included in that.


-----
Fixing thread here. Can bring supplies or help repair.

Matisutou, knowing the limits of his skills and having heard clearly what Kitsuki Shion has said, presents himself to Kaiu Kyo.

Bowing deeply and speaking loudly, he says "Ikoma Matisutou, reporting as ordered!"

Because it does not take skill to lift and carry, and defensive works are certainly of interest to a Lion...

"Don't think I ordered a Lion, but if you're here, might as well make use of you." She said dryly, clearly in more than just a sour mood. Not surprising given what was going on.

"What can you do?" She asked, not looking up from the hole she was inspecting.

"At a minimum," Matisutou replies, "this one can lift and carry. And if other incursions present themselves, this one can act in defense."

"Well, I don't think another fuckin' rat is gonna come through this while people are around, but if one does, I'll be certain to call ya." She grunted, slipping into a thick, unruly accent from near the southern Crab borders. "Any good with a hammer and nails?"

"Quick study," the Ikoma replies, and while his own accent isn't so thick as hers, he's spent enough time around rough characters to make sense of it and the lack of decorum. "What needs to get a point driven home?"

"Too fuckin' much. There's 'bout four holes right now, and I ain't check the roof yet. Probably more there, lil bastards." She grunted out in a frustrated tone. "Was like a swarm came and took over with the amount of holes here."

"I'll climb up and look," Matisutou says, shifting his diction to the situation, "unless you'd like me on the ground."

"If you wanna climb up on top of all of that, be my guest. Gives me more time to look down around here." She grumbled. "Just don't break my roof."

"I'll try," the Ikoma says and, after a bow, puts words to his deeds, leveraging his meager skill but excellent reflexes to that end and investigating as best he can for holes with the training he's received.

Perhaps he finds something?

As he climbs onto the roof, he does find one rather large hole that looks like it was eaten away by something, but there also is bits of fur around the edges, too. It's a deep orange and black color.

"Kaiu-sama," calls down the Ikoma, "are the local rats noted for being orange? Got one big hole here that looks chewed in, has orange and black fur around it."

"No? Only orange animal I know of is either a cat or... a tiger. A tiger wouldn't really want rice or chew through a roof." She called back up.

"Beg pardon, Kaiu-sama, but it's got to be asked: any Southern...things noted for orange fur?"

Yes, he's going there. And a Crab would know, certainly.

There was a long pause before she answered back.

"... A few. Nothing that should be here. There's been so signs or hints. If there was, we would've known of them beforehand."

"Understood," comes the reply. "Still, can only report what I found. Maybe a cat got in after the hole was made? But anyway, I only see the one hole," the Ikoma says, and then calls down to one of the peasants to toss him up a hammer and nails and a couple of shingles to patch the hole in the roof.

"That's what I'd bet money on, but there's only one thing. We didn't bring cats to the island with us. Miya-sama said no animals other than the Unicorn horses in order to limit our impact on the forests' life system or whatever weird shit she was talking about."

The peasants did, however, toss him up what was needed.

"Possible one or two sneaked on from ship," Matisutou notes as his quick reflexes help him catch what's tossed up. "Overheard some of the sailors talking about keeping cats aboard to deal with rats and such aboard, so maybe some from earlier ships slipped off. Or there's another source for them?"

He starts to pound it in.

"Well, then if there are cats, they need to be killed, or at least hidden away before the Miya finds them. Even still, better hope they aren't a pair, 'cus then we'll be overrun with cats." She called out before he began his work. She took the time to do some more looking of her own.

Matisutou grunts in affirmation and hammers away.