[Hanako] Chapter 12: Idyllic Days

[Asta]

Requested roll, Training

Rolled 1d20+7 : 17 + 7, total 24

"Man this is exhausting." Hanako said after a while. Though she was satisfied with the results of her experiment, the method by which she had accomplished the result was less than ideal. Though the knowledge that she had regarding Jitsuko indicated that she was capable of being a "person", no amount of flash cards and "programming" would actually make her into a sapient individual. Was it because she lacked a "soul"? Or to put it in less theological terms: did she simply lack free will? More to the point, was that something that could be given or did one need to be created with it? The questions set Hanako's head spinning so she decided to take a break and eat some of the food she had brought up earlier, sharing it with Jitsuko.

[Asta]

After eating, Hanako will make an attempt at teaching Jitsuko how to write. Provided there is time.

Teaching Craft (Writing)

Rolled 1d20+7 : 20 + 7, total 27

[Throndir]

You have gained a new title 『Teacher of Golems』
You have gained +1 WIS
You have gained a new title 『Trainer』
You have gained +1 WIS

I'll have to make Language (?) being a prerequisite first. Craft (Writing) is a step after language mastery of stringing a story/writing together into something that can be considered a product/craft. You can specify if you're attempting to teach her Japanese, English, or Refedorian. Isikawan and New Felothian are only available if you are for sure you have some writing on hand using those languages. You can probably teach Refedorian just fine even with the auto-translation of your Translate Languages blessing.

I'll be treating both rolls above as Expedited Training (DC 19) for 4 hours total, with a total of +3 Successes on whichever language you pick.

Location: Klein's Estate - Hanako's Room
Date: Day 12 - 4 PM

Around 4 PM, you heard a knock on your door. It was Trudy, as she cracked the door open and peeked in a moment later.

"Hanako! And... Jitsuko now?" Trudy began. "Good news! Looks like the meeting went by well. All the time Minette had been spending with Aldric is paying of. But I'll let Aldric here explain." Trudy then opened the door to the room, and beckoned Aldric to come in. When the large man came in, he had a grin on his face. He nodded his head towards you and Jitsuko.

"It took some trying, but we managed to convince the representative of our slight change of plans on refocusing our efforts into a location nearer the docks. As it stands, we're on track on having a series of lumberyards and housing to be created a short distance away from where we'll set off with the boats that Sofia provided. I opted to have the construction start the moment the rest of the construction company gets word. In a few weeks we'll have enough housing units there for plenty of our workers."

[Asta]

"Ah! Outstanding news! Very good work, today. I mean it. This is going to make moving so much easier." Hanako exclaimed with a grin. "We'll need to be more cautious than ever as we move forward, but this is a great day!"

Hanako stood and shook Aldric's hand. "I had faith in you and it was well rewarded my friend."

I'll need to reward Minette for her diligence some way... she thought, wondering what might make an appropriate reward.

[Throndir]

Aldric smiled happily.

"Oh no. Thank you hero Hanako... I'm realizing that business isn't as daunting and hard as I thought it was... I still have a lot to learn of course, but I feel like I'm genuinely doing something worthwhile here. I was down on my luck before Frau Sofia Leiningen contacted me a few weeks ago. I wasn't expecting much of course, since the demons now rule Refedoria. But it sure beat doing nothing all day and using up what little savings I had left. I thought this was just some under-the-table shady work that would get me killed, and well, I still might be killed!" He laughed, despite himself. "Around 25 years ago I considered joining the military... I didn't in the end and pursued acting instead. But doing something for the rest of the country, helping the hero, fighting back against the demons in the way that I can with my own hands and my own power... That's something else. And I never thought I would have been able to do anything like this before in my life."

"I'm the one who should be thanking you. And I don't think it's just me either, you can tell when you talk with everyone during lunch or dinner, that we're all hopeful." He saluted you in the same way the soldiers did. It was strangely funny to see seeing the fat man act like a soldier. He stared ahead too in the same way that the soldiers did. Trudy had a gentle smile on her face as she looked at Aldric, but a moment later she glanced towards you, admiration in her eyes, and indeed confirming Aldric's words; there was hope.

[Asta]

Hanako had to admit to herself that Aldric's comments and Trudy's admiration were deeply moving. In such a short amount of time she had come to represent something to these people, which was more than she had ever accomplished before. Even if they were still weeks away from making good their escape, by just being herself she had managed to give the gift of hope. She silently prayed that the trust they had given wasn't misplaced.

"I'll do my best not to let you down." she said with a serious look on her face. "At any rate, there's always more work to get done, so I won't keep you. Plus I really need to figure out what's going on with this situation." she gestured behind her to Jitsuko.

Specifying that the language I was teaching Jitsuko to write in was Japanese.

[Throndir]

"Oh of course, hero Hanako." Aldric stammered. He bowed his head in his clumsy way, and then proceeded to head out of the room.

"Did you find out anything about her? Jistuko?" Trudy asked once Aldric had left the room. "I've been thinking a lot about her since last night... And you know how you asked if it was an ethical question about creating a person? Well... people do it all the time too... Having children I mean. You created Jitsuko, and even if it's not quite the same, that kinda makes you the mother right?" Trudy asked as she strode up to you and Jitsuko. Trudy began to play with Jitsuko's hair as well.

"But you know, she'll have Minette and I too, and everyone else in the estate. If she can be thought of as your child, then I guess... I'm like an aunt?" She asked. She reached out for your hand then, holding it in hers. "Or maybe like... another mom?" She suggested, blushing a bit.

[Asta]

"Or maybe like... another mom?"

"Hahaha maybe" Hanako replied with a smile. "Though it might be a little weird to refer to my exact copy as a daughter. Maybe little sister is more appropriate. Either way, I've pretty much confirmed that shes capable of 'learning'. Though I don't really know if its the same kind of thing that you or I do when we use that word. It's more like programming a computer than anything else."

Anticipating Trudy's confusion with the unfamiliar words Hanako snapped her fingers while trying to come up with a more appropriate analogy.

"Or uhh... Well, I guess there really isn't a close enough analogue in this world is there... I guess it's more like, she can repeat things and form associations between ideas and objects but I don't think that in her current state she would be able to form her own ideas or concepts. She seems to be missing that... spark? The thing that makes a person a person, if you get what I'm saying. I'm not certain if that's something that she can gain on her own, or if its something she already has that's being suppressed by the magic that went into creating her."

Hanako sat down on the bed and leaned forward pensively. "I guess what I'm saying is, its similar to when I give someone a 'command'. I'm curious if that's something that I can dispel without undoing the magic that made her."

[Throndir]

Trudy cocked her head to the side in confusion. "I don't really get it... But I mean... whether or not someone can learn, does that really make any person less if they can't?" Trudy sat down too, though she made space for Jitsuko between herself and you. Trudy proceed to pat the bed to gesture towards Jitsuko to sit down, but frowned when she realized that the homunculus didn't really move on her own.

"But she can kinda learn right? Like... when you teach her, what exactly do you do?"

[Asta]

Hanako went ahead and gave a quick mental command to tell Jitsuko to sit down between them.

"It's not so much about being able to learn, as it is the thing inside a person that drives them to do things of their own volition as well as make the connections between thoughts. It's sort of a philosophical question about if she has a soul... for lack of a better word. It's not like humans really know if such a thing exists anyway. People from my world have been discussing that question since the dawn of time and I don't think anyone really has a concrete answer for it, without making some huge assumptions."

Hanako sighed a little, resigned to her ignorance.

"Basically when I was trying to teach her some vocabulary I'd show her the word written down, make her say it by way of command, then have to manually connect the concept of the word to the characters that represented it on the paper. Eventually she could be shown a word at random and when told to just 'read the card' she would be able to say what was written on it. Which I suppose counts as learning. I just don't know if she would be able to do that kind of thing without me manually making the connections for her."

[Throndir]

Once Jitsuko sat down, Trudy continued. "I see... So she can learn... It just takes a lot more work to actually learn something. Does she only listen to you?" Trudy asked. "Actually... does she even understand what I'm saying?"

Also if you have anymore actions, feel free to call them out.

[Asta]

"I couldn't even begin to guess if she understands, and as far as I'm aware she'll only listen to me. Even then, I don't have to speak to get her to do something. I just think it, and she does it."

Hanako shrugged. "At some point I'm sure it will all get figured out... probably. At any rate, I need to think up a suitable little reward for Minette's diligence helping out Aldric the past few days. Any thoughts?"

Whenever this conversation is over, Hanako will go off and do some light armor training. Anywhere Hanako goes throughout the house, it can just be assumed that Jitsuko is gonna follow after. Whenever appropriate, Hanako will get some dinner.

Training, Light Armor Prof.

Rolled 1d20+8 : 19 + 8, total 27

[Throndir]

"A reward for Minette?" She thought about it for a moment. "Maybe another pretty pair of... well... undergarments? I'm not sure if she means to do it, or if she just happens to forget, but you know how she always goes out and about without pants or skirt sometimes. Though, she at least puts them on when there's important things going on."


Location: Klein's Estate
Date: Day 12 - 8 PM

You spend more time training in the light armor. It mainly consisted of moving around in it, and trying to get a better feel of it in general. You had dinner as well during then, having Jitsuko eat, along with the company of both Minette and Trudy. Once dinner was over, Minette excused herself to help continue tutoring Aldric on business practice and management, along with continuing to drill him on Klein's assets. Minette mentioned to you that a slaver was coming by early tomorrow morning as well, so she wanted to ensure Aldric was prepared for it. Soon enough it was around 8 PM again.

Training
Light armor proficiency: 6/8

[Asta]

"Mmmm... not a bad idea." Hanako mused. "Might be a little hard to find some given our current situation though. I'll have to think on it."



When 8 o'clock rolled around finally, Hanako was beginning to feel tired and made her way up to the bedroom with Jitsuko in tow. There wasn't much left to do for the day so she went ahead and started getting herself and the ever silent clone ready for bed, expecting Trudy or Minette to turn up whenever they felt like it.

[Throndir]

Location: Klein's Estate
Date: Day 12 - 8:30 PM

Eventually Trudy and Minette came in. Minette had been busy teaching Aldric, while Trudy practiced her firearms. Jitsuko continued to follow obediently through the rest of the evening. And eventually both girls and Jitsuko were ready for sleep, having changed into their sleepwear.

Feel free to state actions for tomorrow, so we can start resolving days quicker!