Ming

Ming

Name:	Ming
Location:	The House Boat
Rank:	Geisha (wench)

Noted Favors, Awards and Memberships

Personal Color: Yellow

Biography

In my exotic locale, I have learned the subtleties and aesthetics of Nihon's ‘body language.’ So now, with culture and ease, I can slip in and out of any situation called for in a geisha’s demeanor. I have also made my own mark on the local population, showing many women that hiding one’s assets is not necessarily a good thing, most usually demonstrated by the effect of strategic cleavage on the structural integrity of a man’s skull when it makes contact with a wall, pole or other large, stationary object.

Before the understanding of proper movement came so effortlessly, I was a bit less graceful. I had spent a great deal of time traveling, trying to find a place I felt I could call home. I had settled myself, or unsettled, amongst a din of common thieves. I hated them all, and they knew it. I learned to take anything and use it as a weapon, and often did. The more creative I got with my choices, the more I enjoyed it. I also found that my odd choice in weapons seemed to attract the strangest bedfellows, which seemed to give me even more enjoyment. These fellows in particular always left me happily, if not giddily, hobbling away.

After a time, I’d spied a figure skulking about, watching me. I pretended not to notice. One night, as I finished unloading the coffers of a local merchant into my bag, I saw something golden and flowing out of the corner of my eye, and spun quickly around.

“You’re wasting your time here,” the mysterious stalker said, “I know of a place where your talents would be much more appreciated.”

If living with petty thieves hadn’t convinced me that skepticism was healthy condition, a woman pirate sneaking up on me in the dead of night surely did. I’d heard of others disappearing in the night to fatten the slim crews of departing ships, and wondered if that was to be my fate.

We sized each other up, and I asked the stealthy stranger.

“Appreciated? How do I know you won’t drag me into service whether I like or not?”

“Ah, I see I chose well, you’re strong willed enough to talk back. I am First Mate Zetsumei, of The Rising.” The female pirate said, “And, to answer your question, you don’t.”

The pirate with long flowing locks leaned up against the wall and smirked, “But the Madam always did like a girl with a sassy mouth, a smart wit, and a strong desire.”

“A strong desire for what?”

“Everything.”

Somehow, over the time she’d spent observing, First Mate Zetsumei saw potential in me and took me in to see Madam Cricket. The Madam gave me a stern once over, “Yeah, we’ll keep ‘er.”

It didn’t take long for me to feel at home. The Madam gave me ample opportunity to prove my worth and so I spent much of my time quietly learning from the other members of The House. But no matter how much The House was home, I have traveling feet that would not be ignored, and so I set sail to lands distant and varied.

That’s how I came to be the far-flung geisha of Cricket’s House. I don't know how long I'll be here, but for the time that I am, I'll be supporting all weary travelers of the Admiral’s fleet whenever they find themselves on the other side world. Just so they know they are never truly far from the comforts of home.