Post by Kitsuki Yuushahime on Mar 5, 2011 10:48:46 GMT -5
(ooc: Long post, apologies - beyond the 500 word limit so don't include for purposes of the competition. I hope it's fun though. Sorry if it isn't too good. Enjoy)
Tanemune ate lightly, enjoying the jokes Tomatsu had made but turning down his recommendation "You do your Clan too well as its leader. My recommendation would not get you very far anyway; I am just a humble old man of the law. As for retirement - anything is possible Akodo Tomatsu-sama. I've lived this long even after a few close encounters as I am sure you have. Just use what your family is so reknown for, yes, tactics?" he suggested, smiling away.
Upon the announcement of the competition he hesitated about joining. Something appropriate he realised, something appropriate. Not the macabre stories he always told that had frightened his children and so annoyed his now sadly departed wife. Though they were so entertaining. No... something appropriate.
He furrowed his brows in concentration, trying to remember something good and relatively light hearted or thought provoking. He did not wish to tell anything about his own investigations. Tanemune listened to the others as he continued to slowly consume some of the dwindling snacks that were available. He enjoyed Shizuyo's story, glad to see she had decided to start being sociable and enter.
How many years had it been since he was last asked to tell a story and not actually turned the offer down? The lands of the Suzume surely. Anything else? Oh, the more recent time with the chief magistrate of the Unicorn. That had not gone down well. He continued to frown, laughing at himself inside.
After the Hiruma near him had entered he decided to hastily add his own story to theirs. Speaking up, to address the whole room, he began.
"Some fine stories so far, right everyone?" he asked, gesturing to some of the other competitors with a beaming face. "Some amusing, some more inspiring, some intellectual. What a fine competition to begin. I hope this story will also entertain you. It was a fine day with endlessly refreshing light when a single unkept man had entered a small village between Shiro Usagi and Ryoko Owari Toshi. The observant peasants had of course spotted him on the horizon quite easily, for theirs was a quiet village with few guests bar tax collectors and... the odd roaming magistrate, troubling as they could be" he explained, grinning.
"They had called the headman of the village to arrange a meeting, the peasants always fearful of newcomers. With a few of the stronger men he had walked out to meet the stranger halfway, observing he carried no provisions, a plain brown kimono, an empty scabbard for a katana and a damaged looking wakizashi. A ronin no doubt. The stranger waited and the headman made the necessary introductions and offer of basic food and lodging, as necessary for all samurai. The man accepted with a nod of the head and stayed there that night. He was given a wide berth but did find the opportunity to bathe and clean himself up. The peasants were surprised the next morning when he asked to help them in the fields to repay their kindness. It was the first thing he had actually said and they could find no way to refuse him"
"He was unskilled at first but astute and earnest, learning quickly from the others as he watched them tend to the fields of barley and rice, keeping the insects and other problems away. He also had a large stamina, which impressed the peasants, as he never took a break even when others asked him to join them for one. He continued on like this the whole day, so again the headman offered him food and lodging and again he nodded after two refusals. He worked in the same way the next morning. Days turned to weeks and then months until harvest time came. By then none questioned his presence or how he always carried his empty scabbard and broken wakizashi. Some of the younger women openly competed for his attention now that he had proven his worth and begun to be reasonably competent as a farmer. Life was peaceful and the harvest was excellent that season. In their boldness, some asked about his past but he ignored all such questions. He did start to talk more with the villagers though and even the headman sought him for advice occassionally on other visitors who came - all of which the ronin stayed well away from". Tanemune turned his head away from the crowd, covering his face with one hand. Slowly he let his hand drop, his fingers moving to show the passage of time as he turned back to the audience
"After four months, the peace was shattered when three ronin entered the village, beginning to make difficult demands. They were momentarily placated with food while the headman sought the ronin's advice. He was surprised to find the man approaching the village square and not in the fields. It was easy to see he had heard the commotion. He went straight up to the other ronin, standing before them and looking down on them as they hungrily ate and continued to call for sake and to point at some of the local girls, demanding they come closer. All three were fully armed and immediately noticed his empty scabbard and began to mock him. He continued to stand there as their insults flew and turned to words of challenge as his impudence. Finally, one of the three ronin drew his sword, waving it around to intimidate the peasants and to show off. He then waved it close to the face of the ronin and found himself short of a sword as he was disarmed". Tanemune made a grabbing and pulling gesture with his hands to suggest the method used.
"His two comrades stood up and immediately drew their weapons at this outrage, charging the man who dropped the other's katana and took a grounded stance. He sidestepped their clumsy attacks and flanked one, dropping him with kicks while keeping away from the third. He kicked away the downed ronin's katana as he dodged the angered blows of the third. The man raised his sword high above him in immense anger" Tanemune raised his arms high, gripping an invisible katana "and went to strike the impudent man. He found himself enveloped in a flash as the man leapt forward and grappled him to the ground, an elbow to his neck to prevent him breathing before his katana was also taken from him" Tanemune made a flick of the hand to show this
"Now the three were equally as well armed as the ronin, their katana all neatly laying next to each other and none quite brave enough to move to take them. The scuffle had lasted mere seconds but most of the villagers were now observing, some beginning to take sickles and other peasant weapons from where they could be found. Silence once again passed over the village while the three ronin got up. The one who had shown off earlier reached for his wakizashi, drawing it to defend himself as his two friends stayed on the ground in pain. The ronin responded by drawing his own with a sigh. It was still full length but had a noticeable nick on its back as well as being blunt. The two circled each other..." Tanemune began to pace left and right, his voice raising "looking each other in the eye. The rude ronin tried his best to size up his opponent. He muttered insults and took a centre stance, both hands on his weapon. The ronin took his own, his face expressionless, holding the short sword out before him his right hand. A few seconds passed. The rude ronin kicked dirt towards the man, blinding him, before he sprung at him, his blade directed at the man's throat. At the last second..." Tanemune let a silence linger for a few moments before continuing "the ronin leaned back and then pushed the attack to the side with his left hand before plunging his wakizashi into the man's torso, twisting it as he pulled it out and flicked it to the side, stepping away from the man as he collapsed"
"Wiping his eyes clean he glanced at the other two - they got to their feet in terror and began to run. Some of the peasants gave chase but only to scare them away from the village. They left their katana behind and were not seen again. The ronin cleaned his weapon, put it away and then went away to have his clothes washed, now they had some blood on them. Nobody objected and the body was cleared away. He then went back to the fields. That evening, when he returned to the village, the headman greeted him with all the other villagers present. They wished to hold a party to celebrate his actions and to thank him for driving away the trouble makers. The ronin shook his head, explaining that he could not enjoy such a thing and that he had now paid back the village's kindness and would be moving on. The villagers were shocked and some angrily asked why he had stayed so long then. Others expressed dismay, saying he had paid back their hospitality months ago with all his hard work. He told them that he paid it back each day but at the end of each day he was again offered their kindness and could not decline it as the headman had offered it so generously. Eventually they understood and the mood quietened down. He began to pack, the headman not asking him to stay another night. Some of the younger villagers urged the headman to make the offer but he was a wise old man who could now grasp the situation, admonishing himself for not noticing it before. As the ronin began to leave, some of the peasants ran after him, the katana of the ronin and the single wakizashi in their hands. They offered them to him, thinking to replace the katana he did not have and the wakizashi he kept that was broken"
"I will always have my honor - I cannot accept. As for my soul... it is waiting for me to find it. I have no use for one that is not mine"
"He walked away from them, ignoring their protests and continued offers and never turned back. They shouted in dismay, not at all understanding his words and taking them back to the other villages. What happened after that? The ronin went and did many great deeds and completed his pilgrimage. The peasants had helped him find a piece of his soul again. Those pieces would lead to him finding a new katana. As for the village? To this day the peasants do not fully understand the concept of honor or his parting words, though they sometimes glance at the left behind weapons and wonder about it. Only the headman, on his deathbed, staring at the wakizashi tied above his door for good luck could gain a greater insight, though he politely and quietly took it with him to the next world - to best honor the ronin that had always kept his honor so close"
Tanemune finished with a smile, looking at each person present in the room. He nodded his head to them "sorry for the length, I hope you enjoyed it" he explained, truely hoping they did. Out of the corner of one eye he glanced towards Setsuro for just a split second - would he recognise the now late samurai? Tanemune went back to his snacks as the competition continued
Tanemune ate lightly, enjoying the jokes Tomatsu had made but turning down his recommendation "You do your Clan too well as its leader. My recommendation would not get you very far anyway; I am just a humble old man of the law. As for retirement - anything is possible Akodo Tomatsu-sama. I've lived this long even after a few close encounters as I am sure you have. Just use what your family is so reknown for, yes, tactics?" he suggested, smiling away.
Upon the announcement of the competition he hesitated about joining. Something appropriate he realised, something appropriate. Not the macabre stories he always told that had frightened his children and so annoyed his now sadly departed wife. Though they were so entertaining. No... something appropriate.
He furrowed his brows in concentration, trying to remember something good and relatively light hearted or thought provoking. He did not wish to tell anything about his own investigations. Tanemune listened to the others as he continued to slowly consume some of the dwindling snacks that were available. He enjoyed Shizuyo's story, glad to see she had decided to start being sociable and enter.
How many years had it been since he was last asked to tell a story and not actually turned the offer down? The lands of the Suzume surely. Anything else? Oh, the more recent time with the chief magistrate of the Unicorn. That had not gone down well. He continued to frown, laughing at himself inside.
After the Hiruma near him had entered he decided to hastily add his own story to theirs. Speaking up, to address the whole room, he began.
"Some fine stories so far, right everyone?" he asked, gesturing to some of the other competitors with a beaming face. "Some amusing, some more inspiring, some intellectual. What a fine competition to begin. I hope this story will also entertain you. It was a fine day with endlessly refreshing light when a single unkept man had entered a small village between Shiro Usagi and Ryoko Owari Toshi. The observant peasants had of course spotted him on the horizon quite easily, for theirs was a quiet village with few guests bar tax collectors and... the odd roaming magistrate, troubling as they could be" he explained, grinning.
"They had called the headman of the village to arrange a meeting, the peasants always fearful of newcomers. With a few of the stronger men he had walked out to meet the stranger halfway, observing he carried no provisions, a plain brown kimono, an empty scabbard for a katana and a damaged looking wakizashi. A ronin no doubt. The stranger waited and the headman made the necessary introductions and offer of basic food and lodging, as necessary for all samurai. The man accepted with a nod of the head and stayed there that night. He was given a wide berth but did find the opportunity to bathe and clean himself up. The peasants were surprised the next morning when he asked to help them in the fields to repay their kindness. It was the first thing he had actually said and they could find no way to refuse him"
"He was unskilled at first but astute and earnest, learning quickly from the others as he watched them tend to the fields of barley and rice, keeping the insects and other problems away. He also had a large stamina, which impressed the peasants, as he never took a break even when others asked him to join them for one. He continued on like this the whole day, so again the headman offered him food and lodging and again he nodded after two refusals. He worked in the same way the next morning. Days turned to weeks and then months until harvest time came. By then none questioned his presence or how he always carried his empty scabbard and broken wakizashi. Some of the younger women openly competed for his attention now that he had proven his worth and begun to be reasonably competent as a farmer. Life was peaceful and the harvest was excellent that season. In their boldness, some asked about his past but he ignored all such questions. He did start to talk more with the villagers though and even the headman sought him for advice occassionally on other visitors who came - all of which the ronin stayed well away from". Tanemune turned his head away from the crowd, covering his face with one hand. Slowly he let his hand drop, his fingers moving to show the passage of time as he turned back to the audience
"After four months, the peace was shattered when three ronin entered the village, beginning to make difficult demands. They were momentarily placated with food while the headman sought the ronin's advice. He was surprised to find the man approaching the village square and not in the fields. It was easy to see he had heard the commotion. He went straight up to the other ronin, standing before them and looking down on them as they hungrily ate and continued to call for sake and to point at some of the local girls, demanding they come closer. All three were fully armed and immediately noticed his empty scabbard and began to mock him. He continued to stand there as their insults flew and turned to words of challenge as his impudence. Finally, one of the three ronin drew his sword, waving it around to intimidate the peasants and to show off. He then waved it close to the face of the ronin and found himself short of a sword as he was disarmed". Tanemune made a grabbing and pulling gesture with his hands to suggest the method used.
"His two comrades stood up and immediately drew their weapons at this outrage, charging the man who dropped the other's katana and took a grounded stance. He sidestepped their clumsy attacks and flanked one, dropping him with kicks while keeping away from the third. He kicked away the downed ronin's katana as he dodged the angered blows of the third. The man raised his sword high above him in immense anger" Tanemune raised his arms high, gripping an invisible katana "and went to strike the impudent man. He found himself enveloped in a flash as the man leapt forward and grappled him to the ground, an elbow to his neck to prevent him breathing before his katana was also taken from him" Tanemune made a flick of the hand to show this
"Now the three were equally as well armed as the ronin, their katana all neatly laying next to each other and none quite brave enough to move to take them. The scuffle had lasted mere seconds but most of the villagers were now observing, some beginning to take sickles and other peasant weapons from where they could be found. Silence once again passed over the village while the three ronin got up. The one who had shown off earlier reached for his wakizashi, drawing it to defend himself as his two friends stayed on the ground in pain. The ronin responded by drawing his own with a sigh. It was still full length but had a noticeable nick on its back as well as being blunt. The two circled each other..." Tanemune began to pace left and right, his voice raising "looking each other in the eye. The rude ronin tried his best to size up his opponent. He muttered insults and took a centre stance, both hands on his weapon. The ronin took his own, his face expressionless, holding the short sword out before him his right hand. A few seconds passed. The rude ronin kicked dirt towards the man, blinding him, before he sprung at him, his blade directed at the man's throat. At the last second..." Tanemune let a silence linger for a few moments before continuing "the ronin leaned back and then pushed the attack to the side with his left hand before plunging his wakizashi into the man's torso, twisting it as he pulled it out and flicked it to the side, stepping away from the man as he collapsed"
"Wiping his eyes clean he glanced at the other two - they got to their feet in terror and began to run. Some of the peasants gave chase but only to scare them away from the village. They left their katana behind and were not seen again. The ronin cleaned his weapon, put it away and then went away to have his clothes washed, now they had some blood on them. Nobody objected and the body was cleared away. He then went back to the fields. That evening, when he returned to the village, the headman greeted him with all the other villagers present. They wished to hold a party to celebrate his actions and to thank him for driving away the trouble makers. The ronin shook his head, explaining that he could not enjoy such a thing and that he had now paid back the village's kindness and would be moving on. The villagers were shocked and some angrily asked why he had stayed so long then. Others expressed dismay, saying he had paid back their hospitality months ago with all his hard work. He told them that he paid it back each day but at the end of each day he was again offered their kindness and could not decline it as the headman had offered it so generously. Eventually they understood and the mood quietened down. He began to pack, the headman not asking him to stay another night. Some of the younger villagers urged the headman to make the offer but he was a wise old man who could now grasp the situation, admonishing himself for not noticing it before. As the ronin began to leave, some of the peasants ran after him, the katana of the ronin and the single wakizashi in their hands. They offered them to him, thinking to replace the katana he did not have and the wakizashi he kept that was broken"
"I will always have my honor - I cannot accept. As for my soul... it is waiting for me to find it. I have no use for one that is not mine"
"He walked away from them, ignoring their protests and continued offers and never turned back. They shouted in dismay, not at all understanding his words and taking them back to the other villages. What happened after that? The ronin went and did many great deeds and completed his pilgrimage. The peasants had helped him find a piece of his soul again. Those pieces would lead to him finding a new katana. As for the village? To this day the peasants do not fully understand the concept of honor or his parting words, though they sometimes glance at the left behind weapons and wonder about it. Only the headman, on his deathbed, staring at the wakizashi tied above his door for good luck could gain a greater insight, though he politely and quietly took it with him to the next world - to best honor the ronin that had always kept his honor so close"
Tanemune finished with a smile, looking at each person present in the room. He nodded his head to them "sorry for the length, I hope you enjoyed it" he explained, truely hoping they did. Out of the corner of one eye he glanced towards Setsuro for just a split second - would he recognise the now late samurai? Tanemune went back to his snacks as the competition continued