'Good!' She smiled encouragingly and he smiled back. She swept her arm around and pointed to the distant kayak, where Alyss waited nervously.
'Alyss,' she said. 'My friend. Al-yss.'
He frowned with effort, then repeated, 'Ah-yass.'
'Close enough,' she said in an undertone, then continued, speaking carefully. 'Alyss, Evanlyn, friends.' She accompanied the words with gestures. Pointing to herself and to Alyss, then miming a hugging gesture to indicate friends. The giant frowned again for a few seconds, trying to interpret the meaning. Then she saw understanding dawn as he repeated the hugging gesture.
'Fwends. Hai!'
Hai meant 'yes', she knew. Now she pointed to him, then to herself.
'You…Evanlyn…friends, hai?' She repeated the hugging gesture, feeling a sudden sense of alarm that he might attempt it for real. She didn't know if her ribs could withstand a hugging from this two-and-a-half-metre-tall forest giant.
Fortunately, he understood they were talking in symbols. He pointed to himself.
'Kona,' he said.
She assumed an exaggerated questioning expression and pointed to him.
'You…Kona?'
He nodded, smiling again. 'Hai! Kona.' He pointed to her again, then to himself. 'Eh-van-in. Kona.'
'Friends,' she said, firmly, pointing from herself to him. It wasn't a question, it was a statement, and he nodded eagerly.
'Hai! Fwends.'
'And thank the lord for that,' she muttered to herself. He cocked his head to one side, wondering what she'd said, but she made a dismissive gesture with her hand.
'Never mind,' she said, making a mental note to avoid flippant remarks in future. Kona might look like a huge, shaggy ape, but he was no fool, she realised. She pointed to the small camp site, then beckoned to him.
'Come,' she said. She reached for his massive hand. Uncertainly at first, he gave it to her, then smiled broadly once more at the contrast in size between her hand and his. She led him down the beach to the water's edge, where she released his hand and waved to Alyss, drifting offshore about a hundred metres. The tall girl waved in return.
'Are you all right?' Alyss's voice carried faintly across the intervening water. Evanlyn couldn't resist a smile.
'No. He tore me limb from limb! Of course I'm all right! Come ashore!'
As Alyss dug the paddle into the water, Evanlyn turned back to Kona. 'Alyss is coming. Alyss, Kona, friends.'
'Ah-yass, Kona, fwends,' he repeated. But his tone indicated that he would reserve judgement. Alyss, after all, hadn't shared any candied apricots with him.
As it turned out, his doubts were soon dispelled by Alyss's natural grace and charm, and her easy manner with strangers. At her invitation, he studied the kayak with interest. The Hasanu did have boats but theirs were clumsy and heavy craft compared to the slender, graceful kayak. He showed particular interest in the shaping of the paddles. His people merely used thick branches to propel their boats. The idea of a shaped, flattened blade had never occurred to them. Kona filed away the design for future reference.
His inspection of the boat completed, he turned his eyes to their other equipment. The tent created some interest. Like the kayak, it was more advanced in design than the simple shelters the Hasanu built for themselves when they were travelling. He studied their packs and his curiosity was aroused when he saw the two sabres lying in their scabbards.
'Katana?' he said, then pointed from the swords to the two girls. The meaning was unmistakable. Are these yours?
Alyss nodded. 'Ours.'
He showed some surprise. Apparently it wasn't common for Hasanu women to carry weapons. They built up the fire and Evanlyn boiled water for tea. She and Alyss shared one cup, leaving the second for Kona's use. The tiny receptacle was almost lost in his massive, hair-covered hand. On closer inspection, they had discovered that the Hasanu, assuming Kona was typical, did have a lot of body hair – although nowhere near as much as legend would have them believe.
They waited until Kona had finished his tea, and some smoked rabbit they offered him. He was impressed with the latter, smacking his lips several times. Then they approached the subject of their visit to this province. At Alyss's suggestion, Evanlyn took the lead. After all, she had been the first to win Kona's trust.
'Kona?' she said, to get his attention. When he looked at her expectantly, she gestured among the three of them. 'Alyss, Evanlyn, Kona…friends. Hai?'
'Hai!' he agreed instantly.
She nodded several times, then said, 'Alyss, Evanlyn…Nimatsu-san…' She paused at that point, seeing his interest kindled by the name, and a look of respect come over his features. Then she repeated: 'Alyss, Evanlyn…Nimatsu-san…friends. Friends.'
'Pushing it?' Alyss said mildly. After all, they had never met Nimatsu.
'We will be,' Evanlyn said in a confident aside. 'Now shut up. Alyss, Evanlyn, Nimatsu-san. All friends.'
Kona looked a little surprised. He pointed to the two of them. 'Fwends…Nimatsu-san?'
'Hai!' Evanlyn told him.
'Hai!' Alyss said in her turn.
Kona, they were pleased to see, looked impressed.
'You…take us…to Nimatsu-san?' Evanlyn reinforced her meaning with gestures.
Kona seemed to understand. 'Eh-van-in, Ah-yass…Nimatsu-san ikimas?'
'Ikimas is "go",' Alyss told Evanlyn in an undertone.
Evanlyn felt a small surge of triumph. 'Hai!' she said. 'Evanlyn, Alyss, Kona…ikimas Nimatsu-san.'
'Verb should come last,' Alyss muttered. Evanlyn made a dismissive gesture.
'Who cares? He got it.'
Kona considered the request for some time, nodding to himself as he did so. Then he seemed to come to a decision.
'Hai!' he said emphatically. 'Nimatsu-san ikimas.'
He stood abruptly and loped across the beach in long strides to the treeline. He paused there, looking back at the two girls, who had been taken by surprise by his sudden acquiescence. He held his hand out to them, fingers down, and made a shooing motion at them.
'Ikimashou!' he said.
Evanlyn, halfway to her feet, paused uncertainly. 'What's he doing? He's waving us away. I thought he was taking us?'
But Alyss had seen the gesture several times before, in the Kikori encampment.
'It's how the Nihon-Jan beckon you towards them,' she said. 'Ikimashou means "let's go".'