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Post by tadakasan on Mar 23, 2011 3:11:50 GMT -5
The soldier stares blankly at Keshi as she talks then nods dumbly, walking out of the room and upstairs to where the suites are. Tadaka smiles, speaking softly, "Well I suppose I spoke too soon on not having any trouble." He chuckles lightly, "Thank you and nice job on helping me with him as well; I did not wish to be the one to diffuse his anger as it makes me seem like an instigator to the other Mantis. Where as you doing so just makes him look a drunk fool."
Tadaka gets back to his tea, the smoked maki and rice crackers arriving soon after he does so. He almost holds back a sigh of contentment, the sound of the breeze outside, the troublesome Moshi, the seasickness... all seeming to melt away with the pleasant little in and a small warm meal. Picking up his cup again, Tadaka looks over it at Keshi, tilting his head a little, "You were most certainly right earlier; I think leaving your company may prove hard for me indeed; you are quite fascinating Keshi-san and remind me a lot of myself in many ways, the better parts at the least. And it also feels like my duty to dispel that sentiment you seem to have of being alone or out of place outside of your lands. Though I wish I knew what to do about any of that. Even the sea sickness would be nice."
Tadaka chuckles softly, the thought of the very long boat ride making his stomach give a little reminder that this would be the last truly pleasant meal for a bit.
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Kitsune Keshi
Mantis Clan
Mantis Clan * Shugenja * Daimyo * Experienced * Unique * Loyal
Posts: 126
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Post by Kitsune Keshi on Mar 23, 2011 3:41:20 GMT -5
"I feel as if I cheated dealing with him. Even if he was a shugenja himself, he was far to inebriated to defend himself against air kami persuasion." Keshi sighs, "I comfort myself in knowing that it ended without any true conflict."
Keshi smiles, "I don't think you'll share the same sentiments about sea sickness once you get back onto the water." She runs a hand lightly over her face, ending with it just barely below covering her mouth again. She looks up to meet Tadaka's eyes, "Just by talking you've dispelled a lot of my worries. Even if you're leaving soon, I feel emboldened knowing I have someone out there I can call my friend. Someone who sees me as me, and not as a Mantis or a Shugenja or a Kitsune clansman. That's not really something I expected to find. Ever really, not just here."
She chuckles a little self depreciatively after a moment, "You probably wont ever see me as some imposing, pushy person though. Not to insult you, but I'm not that emboldened."
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Post by tadakasan on Mar 23, 2011 11:15:33 GMT -5
Tadaka waves aside the comment, "And I didn't mean to imply any such thing. Anymore so than I would turn that way. Which is why I said that you reminded me of myself, because you are willing to compromise and not impose yourself on others. I know some may call that weak, but to me being accommodating is the best way towards peace with others, and knowledge of them. So long as you have the resolve to stand up for what is right, cheating or no Keshi-san, then things should almost always turn out all right."
He finishes his tea and sits back in his chair, crossing one leg and giving a relaxes sigh, picking up one last cracker with fish. He looks back at Keshi, "Besides, I would have you be you, for it seems to work out pretty well for making you you. You may have weaknesses on occasion, but you said something earlier about having a courtier helper for certain situations, and I am sure there are others who would aid you in your endeavors as well. Speaking of your endeavors, what is your next goal now that you are in Kyuden Gotei Keshi-san? I go north to report to the capital of course and see about that rumored business with the Shogun, but what of you?"
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Kitsune Keshi
Mantis Clan
Mantis Clan * Shugenja * Daimyo * Experienced * Unique * Loyal
Posts: 126
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Post by Kitsune Keshi on Mar 23, 2011 11:52:39 GMT -5
"I'm to be the voice of the Kitsune to the current Mantis champion. I'll be here in Kyuden Gotei for a while, then wherever the champion feels my abilities are needed." Keshi answers, smiling a little awkwardly. "I'm not sure, again, if I'm the best person to be anyone's voice. And I... Well Juni doesn't really let anyone 'assign' him, but he chose to come with me as my courtier as they were going to send one with me anyway. Terrified I'd make some forest person mistake and bring an axe down upon my head.
The Mantis shugenja took a long sip of tea, "From just my preliminary meeting with the champion it sounds like I'll be here for quite a while. They need to know what exactly where a kitsune shugenja would be the most use on the battlefield. I'm not the best fighter by far, but I do have a firm grasp of battle tactics. And that's what they seem to require of me." Keshi sighs, she knew she hadn't been the first choice of representative. Knowing that made her all the more afraid that she would make a mistake that would bring war down about her ears. It was a terrifying and humbling experience, to one who was already not very ambitious.
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Post by tadakasan on Mar 23, 2011 12:49:51 GMT -5
Tadaka frowns a little, pouring some more tea almost subconsciously to help him warm up and think. He shakes his head after a moment, "Dragging a shugenja from their home many miles away, all the way out to the islands with few of their fellow family members or comforts of home... and all to study the best way your priests can be used for violence. That certainly leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. Not for any thing about the relations of our two Clans, but seems so... impersonal and a great misuse of the talents of the Mantis' newest family; I would think the Kitsune already are aware of what they're good at or not, and dragging you out here certainly won't solve anything in that regard."
"They should be treating you with more respect, if you don't mind me being so bold Keshi-san." His voice keeps the conversation quiet enough as he doesn't wish to insult his hosts in the city, but he continues on, "You are a priestess, a woman far from home, and of a family who has just accepted the rule of a Clan over their affairs. You should be in the palace at the least, not in some port inn with me. Still... I suppose you would likely not feel more comfortable there, and I can hardly complain about the results for my part."
Tadaka shrugs a little, not actually sure of what else to say as he finishes off his more recent cup of tea. He leans onto the table slightly, hands folded together, "I suppose I am biased though; good conversation, a fellow shugenja who seems to share many of my views on things, and the radiant beauty I see in you both soul and body... Well, I cannot say I am wrong about any of what I have said, but I am only human after all, Elemental Master or not."
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Kitsune Keshi
Mantis Clan
Mantis Clan * Shugenja * Daimyo * Experienced * Unique * Loyal
Posts: 126
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Post by Kitsune Keshi on Mar 24, 2011 3:06:42 GMT -5
Keshi sighs softly, "I know my own skills in battle, and I know where a shugenja of my family could be useful when using our powers. But as for other skills of being a shugenja that is completely Dependant on whom you're talking to." She frowns slightly.
"As for myself. And this is going to sound like I'm protecting them, but this is what I think I was chosen for." Keshi runs a hand over her hair thoughtfully, "I think Iwas chosen for my relationships with the forest spirits. I have many friends among them. Many more than I have human friends indeed. I am capable of walking through Chikushudo, and bringing others with me, with minimal consequence from the spirit's wrath." Keshi frowns, knowing that her ability was strange and considered genius by those who were envious of it. But unlike her grasp of other magics, it hadn't been worked for.
It felt like cheating to use an ability that wasn't worked for.
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Post by tadakasan on Mar 24, 2011 3:39:46 GMT -5
Tadaka nodded thoughtfully, in a little more somber mood after Keshi's view on the matter, "I suppose that cannot be helped; I will admit, if the Phoenix had the authority to they would probably want you to go to them instead. In this case I actually think you're somewhat lucky since at least here it doesn't seem they wish to study you as such, at least not in the same way a lot of my more book-nosed companions would. If there is one good thing about the Mantis, it's that they are practical and take things at face value; if you can help them they want your help rather than to run you through a bunch of tests. Though I recall you saying something about them wanting to see your abilities first hand..."
On a whim Tadaka poured himself more tea, as much to help him think at this point as anything. "Still, I don't like to make a big deal out of such things; everyone has their own unique talents and abilities, and I see no reason to put too much emphasis on one over the other; Something I wish more would do, so they could learn to appreciate those innate skills, spectacular or not. Hmm..." As he pauses to think, the time rings the passing of an hour and he snaps out of his reverie, "Anyways, time grows short until I must leave, and leaving on a better note than misgivings and serious matters Keshi-san. Since we seem to be out of tea and we both seem to be finished anyways, I propose one last thing of your choice, something to take your mind off such things and so I can get out there and stretch my legs, get used to the weather I'll be travelling in today."
He stretches a little before leaning his elbows on the table, not getting up so as not to assume anything Keshi might do; for all he knew her time was growing short as well and she had somewhere to be, so he thought it best not to press things and just relax to see what came up.
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Kitsune Keshi
Mantis Clan
Mantis Clan * Shugenja * Daimyo * Experienced * Unique * Loyal
Posts: 126
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Post by Kitsune Keshi on Mar 25, 2011 0:50:36 GMT -5
Keshi smiles, "I like the practicality of the Mantis. As, Like any other Kitsune shugenja, I Cannot explain how our magic works. Just that it does."
She seems to consider Tadaka's offer for a moment. Knowing that at the late hour there was not much to do. "There is not much to do at this hour. Though I know if we part company, I will head back to my quarters and likely be interrogated by my courtier, who will want to know why I've been gone so long and what I've been doing."
Sighing she continues "I am curious though. About the Phoenix Shugenja. I mean obviously you are one, but you don't seem to like the idea of the rest of them. That is if you don't mind talking about it." She taps her fingers together a bit nervously, as she did not want to seem as if she were prying.
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Post by tadakasan on Mar 25, 2011 2:25:32 GMT -5
Tadaka chuckles softly and smiles, "There is very little I am not comfortable talking about for better or for worse. Let's head back towards the piers and I'll talk along the way as well."
Offering assistance to help Keshi up, he leave the money on the table and walks out with the Kitsune shugenja. The wind from the sea had died down and the clouds that were blowing across the moon were nowhere to be seen, a blanket of stars covering the sky instead. Tadaka breathed in deeply, "Well, it still smells like a city, but the air is much crisper and clear at night time. Anyways, as far as the my brothers in the Phoenix, I suppose the best way to put it is we have very different ideas about what Hantei's mission for our Clan. He said our job was to preserve knowledge, and I think that's straight forward enough and we both agree on that. The difference is in the methods; while most of my brothers focus on scrolls, experiments, testing things, and our libraries... I think that the knowledge worth knowing in this world is that which you experience first hand, in the moment, naturally. If you pluck a flower from a garden and take it home to look at it, it is still beautiful, but it is not part of the rose bush anymore, not part of the soil and the garden that gave it birth; In other words, while they would have knowledge come to them, I would rather go to knowledge. That tends to mean they consider me a wanderer and rebellious, while I consider them to be insular and timid. We're both probably right in a way."
Tadaka chuckles at this, not really minding what they thought of him at all, almost wearing his labels as a badge of pride for standing up for his ideals. The two shugenja were on the road over looking the docks now, the sharp slope of the hill giving a nice view of all the ships and the moonlight reflecting off the water. Tadaka stops and turns, leaning against a tree as he looks out over it, resting a little and just taking in the simple beauty of the night now that it is more pleasant out.
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Kitsune Keshi
Mantis Clan
Mantis Clan * Shugenja * Daimyo * Experienced * Unique * Loyal
Posts: 126
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Post by Kitsune Keshi on Mar 25, 2011 22:43:33 GMT -5
Keshi grins, "I think in way you have to have a grasp on both to be able to be called wise. Seeing all the world in person would take more time than we have the lifespan to do, sometimes books are the only way to learn of the land you cannot reach."
She chuckles wryly, looking up at the sky. "This coming from the Sailor." She looked down at her hands, they had mostly healed of the blisters she had gotten on the journey here. As like any Mantis she had helped the sailing of the ship over.
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Post by tadakasan on Mar 26, 2011 5:15:28 GMT -5
He smiled in response, "Oh I've spent plenty of time in the libraries, more hours than I can count really. Though I suppose it has been a while; maybe I should take your words as advice and catch up on my reading, as it were."
Tadaka looks at Keshi's hands as she looks at the, seeing the signs of blisters on them, making him thoughtful about the entire evening; He had planned on spending the night on that tiny boat wrapped in a blanket on the deck trying to get at least some sleep and not get stepped on. Instead he had seen a small but elegant garden, had a nice simple warm meal, enjoyed the... hospitality of the Mantis on and off. Not to mention meeting a friend and having some of the best conversation he'd had in... well it had been a while; he hadn't felt so open with someone since the last time he had seen Isawa Miga.
And besides, this was different in many ways; Miga was a colleague who had a friendship of knowing each other a long time, being in the same family and Clan, and professional respect and courtesy. With this Kitsune it was more spontaneous, more natural. Perhaps that would make sense since she had said as such that she was at home in the forest, so a more natural talker than the ways most samurai spoke. Which is how he felt most comfortable anyways. Oh, and there was this... he almost chuckled inwardly as he looked at her hands and was reminded of her infallible modesty. Despite that though, no matter what she said, there was something about her that drew him to her; Maybe it was just that naturalness in which he felt around her or her polite but care-free attitude. Or perhaps it was because he truly did feel she was selling herself short on so many things such as her beauty and wit... Tadaka resisted the impulse to reach out and take Keshi's hand in his and gave a small sigh, looking up at the stars instead. "Perhaps... I should get back to the ship early. I fear I do not have much of interest to talk about at the moment, nor any knowledge of the city of course. And goodbyes are so much easier to say when you're not doing them at the last minute I feel."
Tadaka looked at Keshi's eyes, the moonlight showing their odd colors once again to him, and he found himself looking into them deeply despite what would be more polite as he listened to her thoughts on what to do.
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Kitsune Keshi
Mantis Clan
Mantis Clan * Shugenja * Daimyo * Experienced * Unique * Loyal
Posts: 126
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Post by Kitsune Keshi on Mar 28, 2011 1:35:29 GMT -5
Keshi smiles a bit wryly, meeting Tadaka's eyes for a long moment before looking away in a way that could only be construed as shyly. "You're probably correct. I find myself loath to leave your company though."
This had been the most fun she'd had since coming to Kyuden Gotei. The first time she'd felt like she'd been taken for herself and not as a Kitsune Shugenja. Something she had no one else to compare to. Her family had always regaled her as the forest walker, with either good natured teasing or jealousy.
The forest people, and Jinu as one of them, had always regarded her with friendly pity. As one of their cousins temporarily stuck in only one form. It had always gotten under her skin as a child.
Keshi looks back to Tadaka as she offers, with only a bit of shy hesitancy, "Could I walk you back to your ship?"
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Post by tadakasan on Mar 28, 2011 18:07:45 GMT -5
Tadaka's smile warms and he nods, "I would like that; Perhaps a seat at the docks to watch the beginning of the sun rising. I may not be the most comfortable with rough sailing, but I certainly do love the water still, and the wind off the sea is starting to feel warm... All the chance to enjoy it before I go back north hm Keshi-san?" He waved the way towards the docks bowing a little.
As the two shugenja made their way towards the docks, the warmer wind off the ocean became more apparent, coming out of the southeast. The sun wasn't rising yet, but the faintest aura of lightening came from the horizon, like moonlight on the water. The wind smelled of salt water, fresh and light. Tadaka looked down to the ships and the docks; he could make out the first pre-dawn stirrings of sailors getting ships loaded and set up for later, those on night shift yawning and stretching and waiting for the sun to rise so they can have a chance to sleep. He looks back over at Keshi after a second of looking out over the scene, smiling softly and holding out a hand to help before starting down the steep, aged stone steps, "Even nicer than I imagined down here; Seems your fellow Mantis are taking advantage of the clear skies and warm breeze as well."
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Kitsune Keshi
Mantis Clan
Mantis Clan * Shugenja * Daimyo * Experienced * Unique * Loyal
Posts: 126
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Post by Kitsune Keshi on Mar 30, 2011 2:14:32 GMT -5
"Considering that your ship will leave soon, you will probably see the sunrise at sea." Keshi looks up at the sky with a smile. "You might not even be able to see land by then. Depending on the skill of your crew of course."
She takes the help gratefully, carefully stepping down the old stairs down to the docks themselves. Her soft shod feet making little noise on the weathered boards as she kept step with the other Shugenja. "Though, seeing what I have on this dock. None of the ships are inexperienced so you wont have a problem."
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Post by tadakasan on Mar 30, 2011 2:36:44 GMT -5
Tadaka nods, walking along the wooden planks with Keshi in the light breeze, the stars still the brightest light in the sky, "Oh I would most certainly agree there; your fellow Clansmen are most certainly most expert at sailing. I never fear for my life or the speed at which the trip will take when I am on a Mantis ship. As far as me leaving, it's not so much of a rush as you think. From what I've known from my voyage so far, they start prepping early and don't leave until everything is ready and the sun has risen; something about being able to see the currents and markers from what I understand."
The two of them arrive at the pier next to Tadaka's ship, the same place they had met along with Sueno some four or five hours ago. Tadaka looked out over the still dark water and suddenly sat down, sitting back on his hands and patting next to him as an invitation to sit, "I hope you do not mind if I rest my legs Keshi-san; Even as much as I wander and am used to being on my feet, sometimes it's just nice to be able to sit sometimes."
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