1
Vignettes / Re: Lifetimes of Change (Historical Vignettes set from 1891 - 2011)
« Last post by Daitō on Today at 12:44:14 PM »The New Dawn
Nikokyo, Kyūre, Izumi Prefecture
November 11th, 1945
5:26 PM
It was late in the day, and yet, despite Iwao’s warnings before he had left, here Yuna was, standing in line as soldiers, both Fusanese and Achkaerinese, walked the streets of Kyūre. They weren’t a bad sort, these foreigners. Certainly, Yuna had known a few growing up in the cosmopolitan Hatsukaichi, so she’d had at least some experience dealing with them, but never on this scale, and most definitely not with this profession. For what it was worth though, as the soothing tones of jazz—music which had been banned by Sonyu for being “unpatriotic”—played over the radio, they kept the peace, here in Nikokyo and beyond, not only in other wards, but across the nation. The boys who had done so much for Fusan had come home.
It was not all well in Fusan, though. Unemployment was high, hunger was common, and there were shortages of just about everything someone would need just to survive. And that had, of course, driven up prices. A half a dozen eggs had gone from costing 50 sen to 15 mon, a carton of cigarettes from 20 sen to 6 mon. It felt as though, perhaps, things would only get worse from here, but as Yuna stood in line with her sister-in-law, she felt she had to hold onto hope that their situation would improve. And they were among the lucky ones, too. Sure, they’d lost family, and you couldn’t put a price on that, but at the very least, they had their home and enough money tucked away to live relatively comfortable lives for the time being.
“Yuna, do you know what this line is for?” Azumi asked, growing more and more impatient with each passing minute. A cacophony of music, conversations, and children saying ”give me” in broken English with the hopes of getting chocolate from the Achkaerinese garrison filled the air, almost drowning out what she had asked.
“No clue.” Yuna replied, watching a pair of children run down the street, one clutching some sort of toy. “But whatever it is, we need it. Even we’re short on most things.”
“You’re right on that.” Azumi nodded as a car rolled by. “Still, this place has changed a lot.”
“Hm? You mean from July, right?”
“Nah. From before the war, even.” Azumi said. “It being a military town, the streets were never this busy.” She added, reminiscing on days now gone before saying “It’s… nice.”
“I see.” Yuna nodded along as they moved forwards a few steps. “It reminds me of how Hatsukaichi was, truth be told. Back when I was young.”
“You really should head home soon, check in on everyone.”
“Ah… I’ve been meaning to.” Yuna admitted quietly. “It’s just… With what happened, I’ve been dreading to see what’s come of it.”
“Yuna…”
“I know, I know. I’ll go at the start of next month, alright?”
“That’s not it.” Azumi sighed before pointing ahead. “It’s our turn.”
Before they knew it, the two women found themselves looking over a bowl of soup, most of its ingredients a mystery, though there seemed to be noodles and some sort of meat, but also some unconventional “ingredients” which Azumi was certain were there by mistake. A minute passed, during which time they stared at the bowl, then at each other, and then back again, both silent as they mulled over whether they’d actually eat it. It was calories, so that was important, but… was the paper really necessary? Eventually, after carefully plucking the paper out with their chopsticks, they would both give it a try, and much to their surprise—though it probably shouldn’t’ve been, owing to their comparatively bland diet for the last few years—they actually wound up enjoying it. Say what you will about the Achkaerinese, they could put a soup together from leftovers better than most, Yuna thought.
As they continued to eat, someone ran into the ramshackle impromptu market, holding up a newspaper of some sort, a grin stretching across his face from ear to ear. It had to be good news, whatever it was, and soon, they’d have their answer.
“The Ardians just surrendered, the war is over!” He shouted, and before they knew it, what had been a busy street soon turned into an impromptu party celebrating the end of not simply a war which Fusan was no longer really a part of, owing to the armistice and all, but an end to the Ardian Empire as well. Nearly a millennium of on and off warfare had just come to an end, and though it was the end of the day, it seemed as though a new dawn had arrived. Fusan had overcome many trials, but in the end, it had been rewarded.
How fitting it was then, Yuna thought, that this news came a year after she last saw her brother.
Nikokyo, Kyūre, Izumi Prefecture
November 11th, 1945
5:26 PM
It was late in the day, and yet, despite Iwao’s warnings before he had left, here Yuna was, standing in line as soldiers, both Fusanese and Achkaerinese, walked the streets of Kyūre. They weren’t a bad sort, these foreigners. Certainly, Yuna had known a few growing up in the cosmopolitan Hatsukaichi, so she’d had at least some experience dealing with them, but never on this scale, and most definitely not with this profession. For what it was worth though, as the soothing tones of jazz—music which had been banned by Sonyu for being “unpatriotic”—played over the radio, they kept the peace, here in Nikokyo and beyond, not only in other wards, but across the nation. The boys who had done so much for Fusan had come home.
It was not all well in Fusan, though. Unemployment was high, hunger was common, and there were shortages of just about everything someone would need just to survive. And that had, of course, driven up prices. A half a dozen eggs had gone from costing 50 sen to 15 mon, a carton of cigarettes from 20 sen to 6 mon. It felt as though, perhaps, things would only get worse from here, but as Yuna stood in line with her sister-in-law, she felt she had to hold onto hope that their situation would improve. And they were among the lucky ones, too. Sure, they’d lost family, and you couldn’t put a price on that, but at the very least, they had their home and enough money tucked away to live relatively comfortable lives for the time being.
“Yuna, do you know what this line is for?” Azumi asked, growing more and more impatient with each passing minute. A cacophony of music, conversations, and children saying ”give me” in broken English with the hopes of getting chocolate from the Achkaerinese garrison filled the air, almost drowning out what she had asked.
“No clue.” Yuna replied, watching a pair of children run down the street, one clutching some sort of toy. “But whatever it is, we need it. Even we’re short on most things.”
“You’re right on that.” Azumi nodded as a car rolled by. “Still, this place has changed a lot.”
“Hm? You mean from July, right?”
“Nah. From before the war, even.” Azumi said. “It being a military town, the streets were never this busy.” She added, reminiscing on days now gone before saying “It’s… nice.”
“I see.” Yuna nodded along as they moved forwards a few steps. “It reminds me of how Hatsukaichi was, truth be told. Back when I was young.”
“You really should head home soon, check in on everyone.”
“Ah… I’ve been meaning to.” Yuna admitted quietly. “It’s just… With what happened, I’ve been dreading to see what’s come of it.”
“Yuna…”
“I know, I know. I’ll go at the start of next month, alright?”
“That’s not it.” Azumi sighed before pointing ahead. “It’s our turn.”
Before they knew it, the two women found themselves looking over a bowl of soup, most of its ingredients a mystery, though there seemed to be noodles and some sort of meat, but also some unconventional “ingredients” which Azumi was certain were there by mistake. A minute passed, during which time they stared at the bowl, then at each other, and then back again, both silent as they mulled over whether they’d actually eat it. It was calories, so that was important, but… was the paper really necessary? Eventually, after carefully plucking the paper out with their chopsticks, they would both give it a try, and much to their surprise—though it probably shouldn’t’ve been, owing to their comparatively bland diet for the last few years—they actually wound up enjoying it. Say what you will about the Achkaerinese, they could put a soup together from leftovers better than most, Yuna thought.
As they continued to eat, someone ran into the ramshackle impromptu market, holding up a newspaper of some sort, a grin stretching across his face from ear to ear. It had to be good news, whatever it was, and soon, they’d have their answer.
“The Ardians just surrendered, the war is over!” He shouted, and before they knew it, what had been a busy street soon turned into an impromptu party celebrating the end of not simply a war which Fusan was no longer really a part of, owing to the armistice and all, but an end to the Ardian Empire as well. Nearly a millennium of on and off warfare had just come to an end, and though it was the end of the day, it seemed as though a new dawn had arrived. Fusan had overcome many trials, but in the end, it had been rewarded.
How fitting it was then, Yuna thought, that this news came a year after she last saw her brother.