Solar Eclipse *Rewrite*

Chapter 7

She sighed, making her way to the Nara complex. It was Tuesday, meaning she would be tailing a clan head. She had a good impression of the Naras. One of her closest friends was one. So when she entered the compound, she was welcomed to the sight of a traditional Japanese-style house. It has that wrap-around porch and sliding wooden doors. It was pretty in a simplistic way.

Nara Shikaku was a tall man covered in scars. His hair was done in that classic Nara ponytail. He smelled a lot like his son. A wooden game board, a lazy breeze, and paper, though he did have a faint trace of cannabis come off him. Probably the reason why all Naras are so laid back. "Koinu?"

"Yes."

He looked her over. Shikamaru doesn't talk too much about his friends, but even he had heard a few things about the girl. "Come on in."

She followed him, properly taking in the Nara compound. They had a few houses dotted around here and there, all sharing a similar design. Men and women with similar features walked around, occasionally trying to take a glance at the unknown girl. Naras are curious by nature after all. "So... what's the whole thing with the deer?"

He chuckled, "they have always been a part of us. It's a clan thing." She hummed and seemed to find the reason behind his explanation. "Does your clan have something like that?"

"Our hair. Once we start growing it, we don't cut it. Like we still get it trimmed, but no fancy haircuts. The only time we cut our hair is when we come of age. And even then we keep it. It's used for certain ceremonies. When we die, we're laid to rest with it." She pushed a curl out of her face, tucking it behind her ear. "It's a clan thing."

"Clans are weird like that sometimes, aren't they?"

"Yes. You're a lot like Shikamaru."

"Well, he is my son."

"I know." They entered the main house. It looked the same as the others, the only difference was that it was the closest to the forest. That must be where the deer are. Inside was a woman. She was pretty and tall. Not as tall as Gin Mizu women, but still pretty tall. She had a dense air of authority. Yoshino, Shikamaru's mother. "Goodmorning."

Yoshino smiled at the girl. "You're one of Shikamaru's friends."

"Yes."

"How do you deal with his laziness?"

Koinu giggled, breaking into a wide grin. "I don't know myself either." She admitted, "but he's nice. And smart too!"

She smiled, hearing the girl praise her son. "Well, it seems that you and I will get along just fine. Have you had breakfast yet?" She nodded. "Okay, then I won't keep you back any longer." Shikaku tilted his head in a direction, and Koinu followed him out.

The job of a clan head was dreadfully boring. It reminded her of the times she would head to her father's workspace, to find him half-heartedly reading scrolls and listening to the council argue over tourism and coconut harvests. The Lost Isles had a spoken language, not a written one. They communicated through pictures and verbal messages. Here though, they had both. And it didn't make the task any easier or more enjoyable.

Shikaku had made a few dummy scrolls for her to practice with. Scenarios that made sense to him, but could never happen on the Isles. She did appreciate the effort. In the Isles, population control wasn't a problem. Her people often preferred Scorpion for its floating houses or Peacock for its dense vegetation and tall trees. Trees that could hold communities of people. The Isles have always provided.

A problem they did have was clothing. Isle spider silk takes a long time to make. It's an art, usually available only to vessels, high nobility, and royalty. It came in a plethora of colors and was very durable. But it took time, and skill to master. Isle silk was produced by Isle spiders and spun by spider vessels. It was a delicate process. Most of the lower classes wore clothes woven from plant fibers, painted over with ink, and decorated with colored clay beads.