"I can't be certain," Shintaro responds, not knowing enough about the circus owners to know whether they would allow somebody to draw the animals. He didn't see any reason why it wouldn't be allowed, given the beasts were likely caged between performances. "I'm sure they won't mind as long as you are out of the way and the animals aren't performing. You certainly could ask once they arrive."
Shin accepted the stack of new drawings, eager to see what kind of imagination she had. They certainly looked far more frightening than her earlier pictures. "These remind me of Yokai," Shin murmured, indicating a sketch of a multi-tailed fox and a long limbed creature coloured in a frog like pattern. He then reached the unfinished portrait and paused. He recognized his own face and the care taken to match the look of his eyes and cheekbones. Though unfinished, he knew the final product would be quite impressive.
"You certainly are very talented," Shintaro said, impressed by her skill and accuracy when it came to his portrait. "It is very realistic, much like the photographs I have seen."
"Oh...I..." Well, she hadn't intended for anyone to see that, nor most of her other drawings, for no good reason except that she was afraid of criticism, and the process of drawing was very personal to her, something no one could take from her.
"That's what I was workin' on when Cecil an' his friends..." she shrugged. "Maybe now they'll just leave me alone. I didn't never do nothin' ta them, but I reckon it's easy if I don't fight back." That was a truth of life she'd learned a long time ago...if there was no immediate physical threat, sometimes it was easier to be quiet and compliant.
"Was gonna finish th' colors an' such, but didn't get th' chance. Hope ya don't mind, I don't mean nothin' by it."
Shintaro had suspected Tully had been working on his portrait when the group of miners started to harass her. He found their actions very bad manners not to mention disrespectful. Even in Japan harassing women was considered bad manners even if they were of a lower class. There were places men could go for feminine attention if desired, even for those who didn't have much money. Forcing oneself upon a woman wasn't acceptable either, even among married couples. then again Japanese women would do their duty to their husband, at least till a male heir was born. But Japan did have it's thugs and dishonourable sorts just as America did and Shintaro definitely intended to stop any such men now that he was a peace keeper in America just as he had been in Japan.
"You shouldn't dishonour yourself with men like Cecil just to avoid confrontation," Shintaro responded. It was easy for him to say such things, he was a trained samurai and could defend himself from thugs, but Miss Navada was a woman and lacked his skills even in unarmed combat. "If they or any like them ever bother you again, let me or any of the other law enforcement officers know and they will be dealt with."
Shintaro considered his next idea for a moment then decided there was no harm in offering. "If you like I can teach you how to defend yourself, especially if somebody tries to grab your arm like Cecil had done to you the other day."
"I'm honoured you wanted to do a portrait of me, finish it whenever you can, I very much would like to see it again once completed," Shintaro added, not wanting her to think he hadn't heard her comment.
"Yeah, reckon you could see it." He seemed genuinely interested and appreciative, and although she was still a bit uneasy, she'd take that step.
"I try' stay outta view," she murmured, looking down at the boardwalk. "Prefer not ta be seen, easier that way." Sighing, she shrugged. It was hard to get past a lifetime of fear and hiding, although Mr. McVey was doing a fine job of pushing her forward. And there were others, Mr. Wentworth, Miss Addy, Sarah...plenty of people who were kind and patient with her. It was still hard to let her shields down, and jerks like Cecil and his pals didn't help.
"Here's others..." She flipped through more pages and showed him sketches of landscapes, horses, cats, dogs. "This is somethin' I can do good, an' I like doin' it." There was the flash of a grin. "Can draw about anythin' without no one seein' ya, or knowin' yer there. What was that you were wearin' that day? Not even a New York fancy folks wear that sorta thing, do they?"
Shintaro studied her for a few moments when she talked about staying out of sight. He had to wonder how hard her life must have been if hiding was her default solution to avoid being harassed. Only Eta did their best to stay out of sight, mostly due to being considered the lowest caste in Japan's social structure. Yet, they weren't bothered by those of higher class, none wanted to touch such people so they were left to do the jobs nobody of standing would want to even consider. Still, they served an important role in society, clearing away human waste, tending to animal carcasses among other things.
Tully however, didn't seem to be of that sort and American didn't have a caste system, people typically earned their level of respect, instead of being born into it. For now he decided not to push her about learning self defense, perhaps once she learned he could be trusted, it will be something she'd be willing to learn.
He turned his attention to the other drawings, admiring the landscapes and other animals. The style was so different than the art he had seen in Japan, the coloured pencils were a very different medium compared to brush art and block printing.
"You could make a living doing work like this," he observed.
"I was wearing a kimono with hakama and my Shinsengumi haori," Shintaro explains, "As there didn't seem to be an official uniform for deputies besides the badge, I decided what I typically wore during my time as a member of the Shinsengumi would be practical."
As he tried to explain what he'd been wearing, Shin rattled off a lot of words that Tully had never heard before and didn't understand, although it all sounded very exotic. "I'd like ta see them again sometime," she murmured quietly, almost a question. "It'd help me get th' colors more right, an' th' patterns, too."
From what she recalled, some of the shaped embroidered on the garments had been elaborate, but she hadn't really had enough time to get a good look.
"What's...Shinsgummy? Why ain't ya that no more? Did ya become a Christian when ya moved here? Or a Methodist?"
"I could stop by tomorrow after I'm done for the day," Shin offers. He had a feeling Tully needed a closer look at the kanji on his haori. The mountain pattern should be straight forward enough and he wore a simple kimono and hakama.
"Shinsengumi," he corrected, saying the word slowly so all syllables could be heard. "It means 'Newly Selected Corps', a special police force put together from the finest swordsmen of Japan to protect the Shogunate, the military leader of Japan. We kept the peace in Kyoto and dealing with rebels who wanted to overthrow the government."
Tully's next question gave Shin pause. It wasn't an easy subject for him to talk about. Some within the Shinsengum considered him a traitor but deep down he knew he wasn't. The Shogunate was still subject to the rule of the Emperor even if the Emperor at the time was more a puppet of the Shogunate. Even then, he couldn't bring himself to fight against the rebels when it was clear they had the full backing of the Emperor.
"The Shinsengumi is no more," he responded after a pause. "The Emperor of Japan declared the Shogunate to be disbanded and that included the Shinsengumi." It wasn't the full truth but he didn't think Tully was interested in a lengthy explanation of Japanese politics. In truth he didn't understand it all himself, so much of what was going on he wasn't aware of. It was only during his journey to America did he learn more about what was going on outside of the Shinsengumi.
The last question was far easier to answer and he was grateful she asked it before he even had a chance to answer the first two. "I'm not Christian nor Methodist. I still follow the believes of my homeland."
"Are you Christian?" he asked though in his experience most Americans were.
Japan...Tully had heard of that, knew that it was far away, over water so expansive that it took days to cross, something she really couldn't imagine, and almost didn't believe, except that she'd heard it from more than one reliable person, and Mr. McVey had shown her on a globe.
"I ain't no particular kinda Christian," she admitted, "but I go to th' Methodist church now 'cause that's where Mr. McVey goes." The newsman insisted on church, but let her sit at the back so she didn't feel so trapped. "Went ta th' Episcopal church when I was little, in...once I left there, though, I didn't go no more."
This was something she hadn't even discussed with Shin, but he was easy to talk to, and she didn't think he'd go yapping about it.
"Kinda didn't much believe in God, had more cause not ta than to." A common dilemma for someone who was going through a rough time in life, and especially after she ran out on her own and avoided most civilization, she'd become even more skeptical. "Didn't ever really stop believin' out loud, though, just in case. Didn't want'a risk that there's a real God an' make him madder'n a mule chewin' on bumblebees!"
She chuckled at that, then shrugged. "I do pray now'n then, made things seem less lonely. Dunno what's right, though, reckon there's no way ta really tell." At least until you died, and then it was too late!
"What'da they believe where yer from?"
Shin listened quietly though he wasn't familiar with all the various sects of Christianity. He knew it had been banned in Japan for centuries but it had started creeping back in once the Shogunate opened it's borders while he was still a child. He certainly didn't believe in the Christian God, but was surprised to learn Tully didn't seem to believe in him either.
"We don't believe in a single God, as the Christians do," Shin responded. "Though we pay respect to many deities and the Buddha, our focus is more on finding purity and spirituality from within. It is difficult to explain how we worship, as to do so would mean understanding what it means to be Japanese and especially samurai."
"If you want to learn more about what it is to be Japanese and our believes, I don't mind telling you but it could take quite some time," Shintaro adds, not wanting to seem unwilling to share his believes. He didn't think Tully would be interested however, he hadn't met many Westerners who had any true desire to learn about Japanese believes and culture. Most seemed to scuff at it and call them savages or uncivilized. At least that had been his experience during his time living in San Francisco. The people in Kalispell were different, not all of them of course but most he had talked to at any length, were more open minded.
"Don't reckon as it could hurt none ta hear 'bout it, but I don't think as there's anything much pure in me." Tully shrugged. She'd been told often enough that she wasn't worth anything to anyone, although time had taught her that that wasn't true, and she'd done a few good deeds in her time, including saving Miss Frances Grimes' life the night she'd inadvertently led horror to her door.
"What if a body killed a man?" she asked, still a little unsettled from that encounter. She tried to believe that God forgave a person all their sins, and she hadn't killed Moe Green willingly, but to stop him from breaking Frances in half. Still, killing was killing, and sometimes it haunted her dreams.