[Other staff probably left around the same time as Kaze's death. He made the work so much easier to stomach, that a few servants who could afford to leave absolutely did so without him to keep things steady.
Still, those staff members were either too young to have kids or too old to have kids things young. Ranma's hand goes to her stomach, squeezing the ends of her top. Could it be...?]
...Somethin' like that. I do a lot a little bit everywhere.
Can you tell me what she’s like? [ Fuu has her father’s sparkling green eyes, but she looks much more like her mother. Still a girl in armor, carrying a sword, waiting for the lady, who else could she be? ]
Father said kind things, but he worked for her father, soi don’t know what he knew her very well. He was the lord’s personal knight.
[ Kaze died terribly, something Ranma may or may not have been present for, but almost certainly heard about. ]
[Its intimidating right out the gate. Its an upsetting reminder in some respects. That something good was gone. That something good is always vanishing in this place. Its the only place Ranma's really known, so she assumes that's how it is everywhere. Good things are always temporary.
She blinks slowly, brain calculating proper responses.]
...She's a real toughie. Strong as hell, maybe the strongest there's ever been. They say she killed a bear once.
[None of that is true. Maybe she should've gone bigger and claimed it was a lion...]
And you're supposed to be... a guard. [Doubt is unmistakable in her voice.]
With Father’s death, it’s my duty. I might not be able to fight bears, but I’ll do everything in my power to keep her safe. Like my father before me, my life is hers.
Then I’ll admit I’m a little relieved. [ She was very nervous to know someone’s life rested in her hands. ] I’m very… small to fight attackers. Father was a little younger than me when he started, though. I hope I can grow to be like he was.
Trust me, I'll be fine. And you're new and unsupervised. You should be sneaking a lay of the land. It'll impress everybody if you seem to know so much before ya even start.
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Still, those staff members were either too young to have kids or too old to have kids things young. Ranma's hand goes to her stomach, squeezing the ends of her top. Could it be...?]
...Somethin' like that. I do a lot a little bit everywhere.
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Father said kind things, but he worked for her father, soi don’t know what he knew her very well. He was the lord’s personal knight.
[ Kaze died terribly, something Ranma may or may not have been present for, but almost certainly heard about. ]
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She blinks slowly, brain calculating proper responses.]
...She's a real toughie. Strong as hell, maybe the strongest there's ever been. They say she killed a bear once.
[None of that is true. Maybe she should've gone bigger and claimed it was a lion...]
And you're supposed to be... a guard. [Doubt is unmistakable in her voice.]
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With Father’s death, it’s my duty. I might not be able to fight bears, but I’ll do everything in my power to keep her safe. Like my father before me, my life is hers.
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There ain't anything here for miles. Danger's the last thing to worry about.
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Well, I mean, it's not like they let the lady go anywhere. They think she'd embarrass them. Not like real nobles like him...
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What kinda fightin' skills did he teach ya?
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I know swordplay and archery. He was going to teach me hand to hand combat, but—
[ well. He died. ]
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Archery, huh. [She's fixing Fuu's glasses a long look, which sort of gives the impression of an intense gaze into Fuu's eyes.]
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[ Fuu’s gaze returned is sweet and friendly and warm. That’s Kaze’s kid for sure. ]
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And swordplay's not nothing. How long you been working at that?
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[Fuu would probably have heard that the Saotomes don't let their daughter fight.]
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But it’s dangerous for you to be here like this. I only imagine the lords of the estate would be furious with a servant coming in the room like this.
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They're looking around for the lady for a while though. We got time.
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