The gift

I made sure to keep my head low. 

"It is a cloak to keep you warm,"

Hotaru stared at the cloak without touching it.

 On the back, I embroidered dandelions, illuminated by the background of the sunset. Near the bottom hem, I embroidered tiny slumbering boars in a forest with a tiger watching, on the other sleeve, a wild wsndering boar was running from a tiger but failing, a family of ducks by the pond watched on from the safety of the waters.

I didn't know what to embroider at first so I just had fun with it, but seeing him stare, made me feel like I shouldn't have gone to all that trouble. 

Brother sighed. "It's more of an art piece than a cloak, I'd feel guilty if I ever got it dirty."

A look into the mind of Brother was rare. He's more cautious than I realized. Perhaps he said something to ease my nerves by giving me an idea of what Mr. Hotaru may be thinking.

"Such a detailed cloak is unworthy of him." Uncle Jiro admitted, flustered.

(He is the third child among Father's brothers, a man who look like an evil version with his well groomed beard commonly referred to in modern day as "van dyke", Uncle Jiro was a person rumored to have the hugest crush on mother before he got engaged to Father but oddly enough both brothers work together peacefully- ah Uncle Jiro has a good eye and is good with money. He manages some of the family businesses and trade allowing Father to focus on the town, refugees and training of the soldiers)

I say all this to explain that the fact such words came from Uncle were very valuable and brought me great honor to have my work appraised as something valuable. He wasn't one to give out compliments easily.

Uncle Jiro proceeded to say. "Himiko, you didn't need to go to all that trouble." (Fourth son and uncle Mareo the youngest should be here but he is attending to other business out of territory.)

I felt flustered myself seeing Sir Hotaru's silence and hearing Uncle and Brother's opinions. I should have taken his way of life into account but I knew little about him.

Could you blame me? It could be still used in a functional way okay?! It's not purely decorative! It won't tear or burn that easily the threads are enchanted too! I really want to tell him but it didn't seem as if he cared.

I felt discouraged. "I-if it's not to Sir Hotaru's liking… you can just throw it away!" 

Uncle Jiro offered. "Or you can give it to someone else, I for one am willing to take it off your hands for a considerable price, that's thunder wasp fur we're talking about here, that's quite expensive."

Brother nearly fell as he leaned forward across the table. "T-thunder wasps? Himiko did you subjugate these on your own?"

Father grunted. "She left home and came back with them," 

"How did you kill them?" Brother's gaze was so intense all of a sudden, "How did you manage to keep it intact?" I avoided his gaze.

Thunder wasps, the ones I hit with the paper plane...when killed, their fur was easily sullied from their slashes but with their body parts ejecting itself from their torsos, it was quickly separated and the guts would be gushing outward so....

"I used a slingshot…" I muttered quietly.

Brother's jaw dropped as did Father's.

"T-that is to say, I'm sure she charmed both her stones and slingshot…" Uncle Jiro looked at me with confirmation and I nodded.

I didn't use stones tho...

"That… Mother's way of hunting is a process that takes incredible patience, I can only imagine how long it took you." Father coughed. Father's polite way of saying I exerted great effort for naught.

Like trying to peel a potato with a nail clipper.

I felt silly and regretted even saying anything. 

Uncle Jiro was stroking his beard. "The more I hear, the more valuable this cloak becomes, if I'm being frank here it's a waste for an outsider to have it."

As if to spite him, Hotaru slipped on the cloak in silence, his expression, I don't know how to describe it. It seemed careless but also defiant, well, at least he didn't dislike it. 

Everyone is being rather rude, I wonder if it's cause I got hurt with the maids. Couldn't be. They didn't even seem to notice. I dunno what they talked about when I kept coming in and out but everyone seemed sulky.

"As for the second..."

"There's more?" 

Everyone fell over their seats. 

I felt self conscious. This behavior was unnecessary, thunder wasps were D-grade monsters! Their stingers were very expensive true, but there were more valuable monsters...was this their way of encouraging me by hyping me up?

Brother's reaction seemed too genuine to be fake tho...

"Even with all these gifts, nothing I give would possibly be enough to express my gratitude…" I placed the sheathed sword on the table. 

Asahi whistled, giving me anxiety. 

Uncle Jiro adjusted his monocle. 

"I heard this was made from the thunder wasp cores, limbs and stingers?"

"Yes, when attacked by lightning, it converts it into mana…" My voice trailed off, as Hotaru reached for the sword to slowly unsheathe it. He inspected the katana for a bit before tossing it aside, and sheathing it inside his own Katana, tucking it in the coords of his Hakama.

Uncle Jiro was speechless. 

"The sword was made from thunder bee needles… are you sure you don't want it?"

"My own sword is better." Was Hotaru's response.

In the background Asahi reached for the sword before Uncle Jiro could grab it. Uncle Jiro glared at him. 

"Finders keepers." 

"Brother, I believe he will need it more than you do." Father held Uncle back. 

Uncle Jiro gnashed his teeth. 

It's really kind of him to hype me up like this.

"Ah, that's right brother… from the leftovers of the thunder bees, I also…" 

I presented him a ring. 

Brother looked at it dully.

"It has the same properties of the thunder bee ore?"

"Yes!"

"Then… you're better off giving it to Lord Nomura."

Asahi's face brightened and he straightened hearing this. 

"Huh?"

"I grew up receiving all the charms you, and Grandmother gave me, right now we need to start to focus on building our allies, don't you think?"

"Y, yes…" Still I felt I had been rejected. My heart sunk.

"Then, if Lord Nomura is interested…" I turned to Asahi who snatched the box out of my hand. 

"I am." He later added, perhaps remembering himself or perhaps to distinguish himself from Sir Hotaru. "Thank you, Lady Himiko."

He knew my name?!

"Then… that is all from me." I slowly rose to take my leave, dipping my head. "I will take my leave now." 

Father, Uncle Jiro and Brother nodded. 

I left. 

The hell kind of meeting was that? That's probably the most informal event I've ever taken part in.