Bayushi Hisa
Scorpion Clan
Samurai * Courtier * Dark Paragon of Will * Loyal
Posts: 479
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Post by Bayushi Hisa on Jul 13, 2011 14:09:51 GMT -5
Hisa rose and hung his head, partly in shame, and partly in humility. With a low bow he said, "Thank you for your words, Sensei, for the lessons you've shown me today, and for helping understand the importance of Will. Is there a place for me to turn in? The hour grows late and I have much to think on. Learning of Shourido has been more dangerous and much harder than I had thought it would be."
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Post by Shoju on Jul 13, 2011 14:34:43 GMT -5
"Of Course Bayushi-san. The bed over there is yours." Yamuso pointed at the bed made in the tent. Curiously, There was nothing at all in the tent which would seem to be "Yamuso's" property. "Hold your head high Bayushi-san. You performed admirably today, and have nothing to be downtrodden about... Yes. You will make a fine Champion of Shourdio Bayushi-san. Of this, I'm quite sure."
Yamuso bowed to the Scorpion. "Get your rest. In the morning, we have more to learn." Yamuso turned on his heels, and walked out of the tent.
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Bayushi Hisa
Scorpion Clan
Samurai * Courtier * Dark Paragon of Will * Loyal
Posts: 479
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Post by Bayushi Hisa on Jul 14, 2011 12:42:52 GMT -5
The next morning Hisa awoke and found a bowl to wash with and a bowl of bread and fruits for breakfast. After washing and eating he stepped out of the tent and noticed it was an hour or two after dawn. Kaoin should have received my letter by now.
He saw Yamuso nearby. "Good morning, Sensei," Hisa said with a respectful bow, "I am ready to begin today's lesson."
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Post by Shoju on Jul 14, 2011 12:58:27 GMT -5
Yamuso stood quietly outside the tent, face to the sky, eyes closed, his kimono flapping in the breeze. "Good morning Bayushi-san." Yamuso spoke without moving a muscle other than those required to speak. "You will be happy to know that your wife sent you a response. I am told that she is a fiery soul, with much passion for you." Yamuso grinned at this. "Your response is within the tent, in a small black chest on the table. Retrieve it if you wish, and we will be off." Yamuso kept his face to the sky, the wind on his face was a feeling he never grew tired of. There was a time when he thought he would never smell or taste the fresh morning breeze ever again. He relished every moment of it.
While He stood there, waiting for Hisa to finish preparations, Yamuso spoke a little more freely. "Today, your will shall be tested completely. When you finish the tasks before us today, we will see if you are truly meant to be a champion of Shourido. I will warn you, the challenges today will not test you in a physically dangerous way, but they will test your mind." Yamuso took a deep breath. "Some might say today is more dangerous than yesterday."
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Bayushi Hisa
Scorpion Clan
Samurai * Courtier * Dark Paragon of Will * Loyal
Posts: 479
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Post by Bayushi Hisa on Jul 15, 2011 8:07:38 GMT -5
Hisa stepped back into the tent and after a brief moment emerged wearing Kaoin's veil. He stood casually behind Yamuso, right hand resting on the hilt of his blades, allowing his senei time to enjoy the beautiful morning. It was a behavior he would never have expected from any Spider.
He was glad that today would not be physically dangerous, for he never retrieved his shurikens after the confrontation with the ogre. He did not want that black blood anywhere near him. He waited quietly and patiently for his sensei to begin his lessons, repeating his meditation from the night before to help focus his mind. To his surprise, when he opened his eyes, the Jade wasn't glowing. Whatever enchantments his wife had woven into it must have run their course.
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Post by Shoju on Jul 15, 2011 9:15:34 GMT -5
Yamuso finished enjoying the morning breeze, and said "Follow me".
The two began walking back through the same thicket that they had gone through last night. They reached the small clearing where the ogre had been felled, and there stood a handful of villagers. Yamuso hung back in the fringe of the clearing and looked at Hisa. "Now is your next test. These people are awed by the power of slaying the beast. They will see you as a hero. They will see you as their savior. You can either control the situation, or become the figurehead of a meaningless celebration that will take a day away from your training." Yamuso folded a Kimono around him, trimmed in vaguely scorpion colors but no mon, and placed the fierce mempo he wore in the city of Lies over his face. He then took a step back, and snapped twigs under his feet. "oops" he said sarcastically.
The crowd of people around the fire cleansed area shot their gazes in the direction of Hisa and Yamuso. "It is HIM! He is the one who felled the Ogre!" And soon they were all racing towards Hisa, the excitement on their face to meet their savior undeniable.
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Bayushi Hisa
Scorpion Clan
Samurai * Courtier * Dark Paragon of Will * Loyal
Posts: 479
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Post by Bayushi Hisa on Jul 15, 2011 17:29:04 GMT -5
Hisa glanced at Yamuso with a smirk as his sensei blended into the shadows once again. He turned back to the rushing villagers and raised his hands, commanding them to a halt just feet from him. It took him a moment to quiet their praises.
"Good people," he said, his voice carrying so all could hear as their voices quieted, "My name is Bayushi Hisa, please listen to me. Did I slay the Ogre that was ravaging your village? Yes, I did!" The villagers again erupted in cheer.
Again, Hisa raised his hands to quiet them before speaking, "But I did not know, when I killed the beast that he was a threat to your village." Some of the villagers looked confused and whispered amongst themselves at the news.
He smiled to himself and let the confusion grow before continuing, "For years you have been taught the Scorpion are villains, yet here you are treating one as a hero. I was training in these woods when I was attacked by the beast. I fought him to save my own life, not your village. But know this, I am proud to have defended your lives; the lives of innocents! Loyal vassals of the Emperor deserve the protection of samurai like me; but tell me, where was your local Lion samurai or magistrate to defend you? Do your lords not care for your safety? Or do they only take the fruits of your labors to feed their armies while leaving you defenseless?"
Hisa saw anger growing amongst the villagers and pressed on, "It was a Scorpion that saved you, not your Lion lords. I was once like you, a vassal born to serve my Scorpion masters. But we Scorpion value Loyalty above all else. My family, the Rokogu, served our Scorpion lords for generations and I was given the honor to join the Bayushi family! Our Loyalty was rewarded, can you say the same about the Lion?!"
His speech was having the desired effect, the villagers were becoming restless and angry with the local Lion samurai. "If you wish to honor me for saving your village, honor all Scorpion. Show your loyalty to the Scorpion who saved your life by leaving your homes and burning your fields, depriving the Lion who have forsaken the Emperor of your grains. Travel to the village of Rokogu in the foothills of the Spine of the World Mountains. Swear your fealty to the Scorpion clan and work hard and one day maybe your descendants can know the honor of being accepted into the Bayushi family!"
A cheer rose up from the crowd and many left for their homes. "For the Scorpion!" and "To Rokogu!" was heard from those departing. There were some who stayed behind who wished to speak to Hisa, and a few others who looked at him with hatred in his eyes. He answered the questions of those who spoke to him then turned to the rest, his right hand on his blades almost daring them to attack.
(OOC: Given that TR is between Lion and Crane lands I say Lion here because I've declared for Hantei, but if the results of the votes allies the Scorpion clan as a whole with Toturi I'll change it to Crane. It's what a Scorpion would do, but I didn't want to wait a week or two to find out the results of the vote before continuing this RP.)
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Post by Shoju on Jul 17, 2011 11:37:15 GMT -5
Yamuso smiled as he watched the Scorpion working his charm and sharp tongue on the villagers. He saw how he had brought them to his cause, and even managed to find a way for them to swear fealty.
Yamuso smiled and watched, Hisa would be a fantastic specimen. He hoped they lived long enough to see it to fruition.
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Bayushi Hisa
Scorpion Clan
Samurai * Courtier * Dark Paragon of Will * Loyal
Posts: 479
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Post by Bayushi Hisa on Jul 19, 2011 20:57:02 GMT -5
After a few tense moments the other villagers seemed to have decided against violence and returned to their village. Hisa let out a sigh of relief as he took his hands off his blades. He scanned the clearing for Yamuso and saw him hidden in the shadows of the trees nearby. He had an amused grin on his face as he spoke, he dropped to one knee and took up a warrior's bow, "Shall we continue today's training, Sensei?"
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Post by Shoju on Jul 20, 2011 11:20:52 GMT -5
"Indeed." Yamuso smiled as he watched his pupil. Yamuso began walking, and turned to look at the Scorpion bushi. "Tell me Bayushi-san. If you had to choose between the life of your wife, and the life of your lord, what choice would you make? I can tell you are in love, has that love changed your perception?" Yamuso looked up into the canopy of the thicket. It was beginning to thin. "What if it was you had doubts about your lord's judgement that led to the crossroads where you had to choose? Could you choose to suffer your lord's decision and lose your wife if you had doubts in your lord's decision?"
The Thicket Cleared, and they were standing on the outskirts of the village, and there was a river nearby. Yamuso began walking towards the river.
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Bayushi Hisa
Scorpion Clan
Samurai * Courtier * Dark Paragon of Will * Loyal
Posts: 479
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Post by Bayushi Hisa on Jul 20, 2011 21:45:39 GMT -5
Hisa followed closely behind Yamuso as they neared the river. He shot a murderous glare at his sensei, and was thankful his wife's veil obscured his features, as he thought to himself, Are you planning on harming Kaoin?
He quickly composed himself as he bent over and plucked a dandelion from the grass. He picked at its petals as he thought over the question. "Why would I ever need to make such a choice? Bushido claims that I must sacrifice myself or my wife to do the bidding of my lord. Shourido claims I do what is best for myself, sacrificing whichever is of greatest advantage to completing my goals. Now do you see why I have begun this path sensei? Why must I sacrifice anything? Why do both demand death? Would you give yourself to the Lying Darkness again if Daigotsu commanded, or would you defy and slay your lord and Champion to continue to live free?"
He crumpled the remainder of the weed in his hand and threw it into the water. He crouched along the river bed, setting his blades to his side, and stared at his reflection in the water. "When the rules present me with two loosing choices it falls upon myself to change the rules, to find a way to win. Though I put no stock in useless hypotheticals and 'what ifs,' I know with every fiber of my being, and with the Kamis as my witnesses, I will use my Will to always find a way to selfishly protect those I value while pursuing my goals and the goals of my clan. "
He saw black smoke beginning to rise from downriver. The villagers had already begun to burn their fields, their homes, and deprive their lords of valuable grains for the coming war. My Will be done.
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Post by Shoju on Jul 21, 2011 8:35:27 GMT -5
Yamuso stood staring at the Scorpion, no emotions detectable through his mask He stared at the village and the smoke, and back to the Scorpion. "You are a cunning one Bayushi-san." Yamuso removed his mask and cupped water from the river's edge onto his head. "If Daigotsu made that request, I would die trying to kill him."
Yamuso stood and looked again to the smoke. "Then I must ask the question. Are you familiar with Tangen's Lies? In his treatise, Tangen says Fear is more powerful than love. He says that fear is the more desired emotion. And that a lord who is feared for his abject cruelty is a more effective ruler than a Lord who loves." Yamuso pointed at the village and the people. "Those people will be rallying to your family soon, and while you may not presently be the daimyo, they will always think of you as their Lord. It is the way peasants are. What type of Lord will you be to them?"
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Bayushi Hisa
Scorpion Clan
Samurai * Courtier * Dark Paragon of Will * Loyal
Posts: 479
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Post by Bayushi Hisa on Jul 22, 2011 10:57:28 GMT -5
Hisa chuckled softly at first and let it build to thunderous laughter as he fell back onto the grass. He looked up at his sensei, "Cunning? Perhaps, but I fear I am reckless more than anything, Sensei. I came here to offer my support to the Chuda, yet instead of awkward silence while we walked I spoke of philosophy and am now training with you. I kill in defense of my life and I am now treated as a hero. I seized upon an opportunity to increase the trading power of the Scorpion while weakening another clan, but only the Kami know what the results of this action will be. Everything I've done has been done on impulse and has had unforeseen consequences."
He stood back up and continued. "Yes, I've read Lies. He also said that a cruel and just lord is always admired. There are no other kinds amongst the Scorpion; at least, not for long. He also said that two hundred angry men - be they samurai or peasant - is an army. An army now marches to rally behind the banner of the Scorpion. You will also notice I did not grant them fealty, I merely told them a way to earn it. I have taken nothing and given nothing, yet anything that happens to them once they reach Rokogu they will see as a gift from me, or as a direct result of a gift they believe I have given. They will owe me their allegiance in return. Loyalty is rewarded, disloyalty is rewarded with death. It is the Scorpion way. They will learn it soon enough."
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Post by Shoju on Jul 22, 2011 11:50:26 GMT -5
"Your impulses are good Bayushi-san. I believe that you should follow them whenever possible." Yamuso starting walking alongside the river. You have willed yourself into a fantastic position by following your desires and speaking freely. "One day, your impulses are going to save your life. Of this, I am most assured."
Yamuso looked at the sky, and decided that the hour was still early enough for one more test. Come Bayushi-san. I believe one more task awaits you before we rejoin your beloved." Yamuso took off in a sprint down the river.
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Bayushi Hisa
Scorpion Clan
Samurai * Courtier * Dark Paragon of Will * Loyal
Posts: 479
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Post by Bayushi Hisa on Jul 25, 2011 9:23:34 GMT -5
"No!" shouted Hisa after his sensei. "Not until you tell me what you are planning Yamuso-sensei. First you give me a hypothetical situation where Kaoin may die and now you say that we are to rejoin her?" Hisa walked up to where Yamuso had stopped sprinting only a few yards away. "Tell me what you are planning."
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