Rin Shibuya is a contemporary of mine from my dimension, a bona fide mate who a number of her supporters on the other side compare me to in terms of ability and resiliency and independence. She comes from the same town in Tokyo and has long hair like me and a similar build. We also own pet dogs and tend to not wear pants or skirts at times when dressed casually. The difference is that my eyes are more of a gray color, my hair is black and I wear a white hairbow. Rin has long brown hair, green eyes and prefers to wear nothing on top, other than a scarf if it gets chilly, unless she is performing or doing photo shoots. The appearance and demeanor between the two of us, as well as the fondness of not wearing pants or skirts is comparable to the fact that I am given the nickname of Koharu, which, I am told, is a corrupted, diminutive, supposedly playfut and cute form of my name.
But I really don't have a nickname so to speak, so while I find the appellation flattering, I prefer that my peers just call me Kaho or Kahori. Rin's fans are a resilient bunch though. I remember one time where Rin chose to visit me at the Drowning Wench to meet me because she apparently wanted to know why I am considered by her fans to be one of her prodigies. Rin is a performer, an idol. She sings, dances, does voice dubbing and acting. Did I mention she also likes to not wear pants or skirts. On these grounds, I like her taste for fashion, and she thinks the same for me. Well, it's actually a lot of other stuff, as this discussion below will show.
So, as the story goes, Rin rolls in and gives me a hug. "Kahori, I have been waiting for this day to finally meet the person that is said to be my body double by my very weird fans."
"Body double?" I asked.
"Yeah, because you look like me and think a lot like me job-wise. Where is this place."
"This dimension I am in is called Hydaelyn. This is the realm of La Noscea, Eorzea, and this is the capital, Limsa Lominsa. I work as an adventurer. Want to have a seat? I'll cook you something." I took out my frypan and whipped up a rolanberry shaved ice and a few meat mi'qabobs.
"What are these?"
"Rolanberry Shaved Ice and Meat Mi'qabob. Shaved ice and shish kebabs, essentially."
Rin took a bit. "Mmm, this is really good. So you can cook, huh?"
"That's one of the many trades I can do. That trade is called culinarian. To sum it up, I make items, I gather items, and I slay monsters for the currency here, called gil. It's a decent living. I specialize in making jewelry and clothes and healing people in battle."
"That's a lot of things you can do. How many is that?"
"Six Disciple of War trades, three Disciple of Magic trades, eight Disciple of the Hand trades, three Disciple of the Land trades equals 20 different jobs I do."
"Wow...all I can do is sing, dance and act. You're more multitalented than me, I can't believe I'm actually saying that."
"My peers at my free company call me a Jill of All Trades, when I really specialize in three. Before I registered at the Adventurers' Guild in Gridania, I was a pianist and I did surfing in honor of my late father."
"May he rest in peace. Kaho, can you show me a sample of what you do?"
"Sure, I'll show you a couple of samples. See this animal skin I am holding?" I said. "Watch as I add a little touch to it with this iron head knife." A few scrapes of the knife later... "And here is what Guildmaster Geva of the Leatherworkers' Guild calls high quality leather. Watch what I can make with this." A few taps of the awl later... "This is a high quality leather calot. This is yours to keep."
"Thank you."
"Since I also do clothes, let me sew something up using high quality linen. Watch this." I took my thousand needle and prepared a shirt. "This is an extreme survival shirt. You can use this as sleepwear if the weather gets hot back home. What's your favorite color?"
"Blue. Sky blue."
I took some sky blue dye and gave it a new appearance. "Here you go. There are my gifts for you coming over to visit me."
"This is so cool!" exclaimed Rin. "Thank you so much. I want to be able to do the same things as you. How do I do it?"
"Well, you're gonna have to retire from the idol business. Then you have either come here, or to one of two other big cities in Eorzea and register at that adventurer's guild and you'll get started. But it's not an easy road, as you won't be doing much singing, maybe dancing, but you'll have to take your lumps and realize that you are no longer an idol but an adventurer. Got it."
"Understood. So I'll think about when I head back home. I like this place."
"We have some of the best beaches in this part of the dimension and the people who work here reward you for doing well and contributing. No different than Tokyo, you know?"
"Of course. I'll go ahead and head home. Good luck on your work, Kahori."
"Rin, we're part of a sisterhood of cool hard-working girls with the right attitude and mentality. You don't need any extra motivation. I see it in you, a contemporary that can do anything she wants. Follow your heart, because you never know if your journey may actually lead you here instead of the people at 346. If you decide to come back and someone asks who referred, let that person know...it was Lady Harukawa that requested you to take the next step. All right?"
Rin giggled and gave me a hug. "You sound like a big sister in a way. But I like that from you. I'll see you later!"
"Have a safe trip home?" And with that, ShibuRin was on her way back to Tokyo.
Mytesyn was overhearing everything. "Lass," he said. "Who was that fair lady you were speaking to? She looks a lot like ye, I reckon!"
"Her name is Rin," I said. "She is a performer and one of my mates. I got a lot of mates who look and think like me. It's a sisterhood that knows no limits. If she decides to become an adventurer, she might surpass me one day."
"Will you feel bad about that, pray that happen?"
"It's all up to her. She has the type of maturity and character that is expected of adventurers. I will let her decide what she wants to do with her life. She has one life to live and a lot of love and joy to give, and that's good."
"Lass, you come up with some of the most worldly maxims. Why is that?"
"When I am in the company of accomplished women, I get a rush of energy. This is my sisterhood that I signed up for. I must keep the faith and not let anyone down."
I noticed that a few onlookers were applauding my dramatic spiel and it caused me to blush and flee to my inn room, embarrassed. It is true that I am like Rin in some ways. But I don't need to pattern my life after any of my peers, any of my mates. I have my own mission as an adventurer and I need to fulfill it. And as I said, my name is not Koharu.
