Kasumi smiles shyly, becoming more aware of Dross's very close physical presense as his words show his empathy.<br/><br/>She nods and turns her face to look into his, curious as to his reaction to her words.  "I come from a feudal society... my father runs, or ran..." Her voice trails off for a moment, as she sighs, but she keeps her eyes on Dross's and continues.  "He ran a school for the martial arts.  When my... when my mother died, my father lost much of his drive... and soon most of his students had moved on."<br/><br/>She looks away for a moment, then sighs.  "As I said, I don't want to bore you... please interrupt me if I begin to... I will not be offended."<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">If he says he's not bored.</div><div class="spoiler_body">Kasumi nods, smiling warmly.  "You are sweet to say so.  Anyway, my father took out loans on our land and the buildings on it to pay the bills for a while.  And soon some of those loans started to come due.  Up to that point, I had taken on much of my mother's role in the house, cooking and cleaning for our family, but when I learned... when I found we might soon lose our ancestral home, I decided that I must act."<br/><br/>She keeps looking at Dross's reactions, curiously.<br/><br/>"So..." she continues the story after a brief pause.  "My father insisted that everything would turn out fine... he had made a pact with a friend for his son to marry one of his daughters, and take over the school... but this friend was late.  As my father otherwise had taken to drinking too much, I decided that I must try to take over the teaching myself.  However, I was only a novice.  My father had taught my sisters and I enough to protect ourselves, but that was not enough for a true mastery.  Also, my land is a patriarchal one, and a woman teacher was considered with suspicion.  I would need to be an extraordinary teacher, or famous for my deeds, to draw students."<br/><br/>She looks thoughtful for a few long moments, then continues.  "My father's old teacher was... is famous... or perhaps I should say, infamous.  He was..." <br/><br/>Here she blushes, but shakes her head.  "Goddess forgive me.  The master is a letcher... and a famous one.  He would not, at first agree to train me at all.  When he... when I finally persuaded him to do so, he often tested me... humiliated me in some ways, demanded... services.  He taught me to dance, to serve men in any number of ways.  But he also taught me his art.  And if he was nothing else, he was, and is an extremely powerful martial artist.  Once I had mastered enough of his technique, I got a job as a high profile noble's bodyguard, so as to begin gaining a reputation.  The money went to keep up the loan payments... and then the noble decided to leave the country and travel.  We set sail... the boat sunk in the recent tempest, and I ended up here."<br/><br/>She lowers her eyes.  "If I am presumed dead by the noble's family... at least their honer will demand my family is taken care of.  But we will lose the school, and our home, if I do not find some way to return within a few months.  I fear that may be impossible."<br/></div></div>