Although the city beyond the walls is said to never sleep, things within the Inner City tend to be a bit more peaceful. The early hours of the day see various samurai make their way out of their homes, many through those gates to the outer city while a fair fewer come back the other way, but even this sudden burst of foot traffic does not reach many of the streets of the city-- like rivers of humanity that know their well-trodden paths.

But there are trickling side-streams. Along one road in the Hito district, a stream of little people dressed in a rainbow assortment of outfits-- each tiny person carrying box wrapped in cloth containing some sort of food stuff. As brushes, parchment, scrolls and books were stored within the school building, nothing else was necessary for their classes.

At the beginning of the path, just where it diverted from the main road, stood a tall, thin young man with a slightly scraggly and weary look to him. Pale skinned with extremely short, but extremely messy hair and large golden eyes dressed in a dark brown kimono with tan trim. Around his top part he wore a light green kataginu with an owl symbol printed on the back. A single sheathed sword hung from his belt and a satchel was slung around his shoulder.

His eyes darted along the children as well as up the road where more could be expected. He met any glances his way with a slight nod, but remained a silent guardian presence.

At the end of the path was quite the opposite. A rather short and thin woman of around thirty with pixie-like features, her hair fashioned in a pair of side-tails with pink ribbons. Her kimono being on its base white, but covered with so many pink, orange and green floral and leaf patterns that the white only peaked through the various brilliant colors. With a large smile on her face she waved with both hands to each child that approached, calling them by name and a chipper "Good morning!"

Only when someone failed to respond back with a proper "Good morning!" she she step in their path to block their entrance and repeated her greeting until the child properly responded.

The day began early in the home of Kano Kazuma.

The apprentices were generally the first to rise, tackling their myriad chores in the pre-dawn starlight. These shipwrights, carpenters and smiths in training were generally drawn from lower ranking Buke families, or more rarely a few of the higher ranking Shokugyousha. They generally kept to themselves, although they privately wondered amongst themselves why their masters eldest son had been held apart from the family craft.

Next was the lady of the Home, Motoko, who set to work with quiet dedication on the more intimate chores, the preparation of the meals, and the setting out of clothing and implements for the day. She was a solidly built woman in her own right, maternal and outwardly kind, she wore the status of her caste in her posture and her self sure demeanor.

Hiruto generally woke sometime after his mother, although he moved sluggishly and bleary eyed for much of the first hour. The boy could have easily slept half the day away, and what sleep he did get was plagued with terrible growing pains as his bones ached and throbbed, courtesy of the various large statured families of the Crab that had intermarried over the generations.

Bathing, breakfast and dressing were each brief and unceremonious, and as the family did not keep servants, the morning meal was an intimate affair with the apprentices joining them.

The last stop for the day, before everyone went their separate ways, was a brief display of respect and observance to Ebisu, the Fortune of honest labor, in which both incense and the forge were lit with the same taper. While more classically associated with toil in the fields, Kazuma had reminded his family many times that every civilized person whatever their station labored in their own way, and that the lowborn certainly did not possess a monopoly over diligence or integrity.

After the brief observance, Hiruto gathered up his things and slipped out of the gate of the small fortified compound in the Karada district where he hustled to catch with Sanjiro at their normal meeting place where they would walk in together.

Hiruto eyed the silent guardians sword with covert glances. The carry, make, shape, state and wear on a sword and its scabbard could tell you many things about the one who carried it, and although the boy only had the vaguest notions of what he was looking for, he knew he was supposed to notice them, and so he looked.

He exchanged a few low conversational words with Sanjiro before they reached the woman. "Good morning!" Hiruto offered his greeting eagerly, maybe a little too eagerly, and there was the slightest blush of pink on his chubby cheeks as he passed and added a glance behind as they moved along.

"What did you bring for lunch?" Hiruto asked offhand as they moved on, with a hungry glance towards Sanjiro's satchel.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:24, Wed 10 Mar 2021.

Sanjiro's day began as it always did, rising well before Lady Sun began her ascent in the heavens when almost everyone else in the household was still asleep.  Moving with practiced swiftness and precision, he quickly bathed and dressed.  Breakfast would have to wait, as Junzo-sensei always insisted that his stomach was empty before their morning.  Something about not wanting to have to clean up the contents of his pupil's stomach again.

In his defense he had only thrown up the once, and when dealing with the Void these sorts of things were to be expected.  After all, he had only just wrung his first bell, and thus he was finally being allowed to wander more freely in the Void in an attempt to gain understanding about the interconnectedness of all things.  And to say that the experience was disconcerting was something of an understatement,

Meeting up with his master at the entrance of the compound, the two made their way to the quiet corner of the Chisei District where they practiced every day.  The relative quiet and isolation were absolutely necessary, hence the early hour of their meeting.  It was after all for the safety of everyone else, as the damage that an inexperienced Ishi who lost control of their powers could cause was immense.  Of course, isolation was hardly the only precaution that had been taken, numerous wards had been erected in the area, and blocks placed on Sanjiro's abilities until he had proven sufficient control and discipline.  Not that the young man was aware of any of this.

The lesson passed like it often did, with a large chunk of time spent in quiet meditation followed by a period where Sanjiro tried and failed to influence the Void, making subtle
alterations in reality.  If Sanjiro's failure bothered him, it didn't show on his face as he and his sensei discussed the results of the day's lesson.  His question at the end of the lesson inquiring about if the Elemental Water in his own body was the same as that in a tree or the clouds overhead earned him a rare smile and nod of approval before being dismissed by the elder Ishi who, as he was wont to do, said nothing.

His first of many lessons for the day finally complete, Sanjiro quickly began his trek home, only pausing to stop at the temple of Fukurokujin to pray, just as he did every morning.  The young shugenja was well known at the temple, and more than a few of the priests had a soft spot for the young man.  After all, the number of people his age who saw fit to pray to Fukurokujin for guidance were scant at best.

His prayers and conversations with the temple's caretakers finished, Sanjiro scampered home just in time to find the household bustling with activity.  Unfortunately, today's lesson had run long (a fairly typical occurrence), and he had missed the morning meal.  As such, he had to settle for a lukewarm bowl of soup that a thoughtful servant had set aside for him.  Not that he minded in the slightest.  After all his friend Hiruto often joked that Sanjiro seemed to live off of only air.  It would certainly go a long way to explaining his physique, that's for sure.

Hurridly slurping down his breakfast, Sanjiro quickly slipped out of the gate of the small compound where he hurried to catch up with Hiruto at their normal meeting place where they would walk in together.  Chatting amiably as the pair made the trek to school, he followed Hiruto's example, quickly exclaiming "Good morning Momonaga-sensei!" as they approached the woman standing at the end of their path.

A smile flitting about at the edge of his mouth as Hiruto glanced back at their teacher, Sanjiro gave his friend a gentle nudge, his eyes sparkling with barely contained mirth as he replied.  "Looking for something there my friend?  And I'm not sure, I didn't pack it as this morning's lesson ran rather long.  But if I had to guess, rice, tofu, and maybe some dried fruits and nuts.  Why, are you hungry?  You know I'm always happy to share."

The morning started early. Lion, even in the city, started their day as soldiers. It was their duty to the Empire and their lineage. Wake early. Eat a hardy breakfast of a fried egg, wheat noodles, and dark broth. Share, as a family, a reading from an important work of history- with Mei sitting attentively as her older sister advertised her boredom. Then the girls ran laps around the small courtyard of their city home while their parents attended to setting the servants on their proper course and readying their business for the day.

After that, there was still time for Mei and her father to sit down and continue their long-running go game as he questioned her about her studies. A samurai- as a commander- would have to think about many things at once and should be able to keep the wisdom of their ancestors' forefront at all times. Mei would stare down at the board, working to think ahead while she recalled the quotations her father asked for.

"And the Battle of Forager's Gultch?" Ryouichi asked in his dark, deep rumble, "What is the lesson we learn from that?"

"Um..." Mei began, staring down at the board. Her lips parted for a moment, closing, as she reached out and set down a small black stone. "That a battle which can be won without crossing of swords is a victory for both sides!"

"Good," her father said, adding a white stone and then moving his fingers to flip several others.

When the time finally game, Mei was sent off to school with a neatly tied satchel for her afternoon meal, and carefully rolled scrolls of work. Rushing quickly through the city, even the Inner Ring not a place to delay for too long. She quickly caught up with Hiruto and Sanjiro, doing her best not to smile or call out too loudly.

Before she could speak, though, Mei's focus was quickly distracted. Pulled to their teacher. Rather than a simple good morning, the young samurai stopped. Her feet came together, and she bowed low, head down. "Good morning, Momonaga-sensei," she said, rising slowly. By that time, she was several steps behind her friends and had to hustle to catch back up.

A single candle flame. Shiro's eyes snapped awake as the servant girl lit the wick. She quickly scrambled out of bed in her only state of disarray for the day. As the servant retreated with a bow, Shiro assumed lotus position and began her daily meditation. Her family honored the Hinokami to light their way in darkness. Control, preparation, focus, dedication, these qualities were all demanded by the Flame to ensure their light was respectfully utilized, thus a day in the Bayushi household always began with the Rite of Sparking.

Of course, this was not the Bayushi household. The Otomo house was unfamiliar with her customs, and Shino always heard whispers from the servants about some of the strange traditions she had, but they didn't dare disobey her grandmother. Shino's meditation always began just as the hour of the Hare began, just like back home. Of course, the rest of her family wasn't here in Otosan Uchi, so she could only meditate alone.

Thirty minutes later, after Shino had burned the candle away and properly put out the flame, the rest of the serving girls came in for her daily preparations. Shino welcomed the sight. She bathed herself with the tub of hot water they brought in then sat at the mirror as the girls set to work brushing her hair and doing her make up. "I want to wear a bun today, and that golden peony hairclip Grandfather bought me the other day."

Her personal maid, Satoko, quickly understood the one she meant and got the girls to arrange her hair appropriately.
Shino took her time picking out a newly embroidered rich maroon silk kimono with decorated peonies and leaf designs wrapping around it. She made sure to check herself as satisfactory in the mirror before walking out to join her grandparents, Otomo Shigenari and Otomo Teruko, for breakfast.

Breakfast among the Otomo was a very stuffy affair, but Shino could play quiet and cute. It always made her grandfather smile when she 'accidentally' burned her tongue on the rice porridge while eating it daintily, and her grandmother loved making a show of wiping her chin for her after eating. She was happy making them happy, but it was a stark difference from the animated conversations and raucous laughter that often accompanied meals in Scorpion lands. Other clans really had no idea how to party.

Shino set out for school precisely 45 minutes early. A Scorpion was never be late; being late meant a lack of preparation or something had gone wrong. In order to make sure accurate information came in, it was never a lack of preparation.
She loved watching the other kids slowly trickling onto the road and seeing her outfit.  There were quite a few envious glances and whispers as well as a few jaws dropped from some boys. Shame the other girls didn't have her fashion sense.

As Shino made it to the gate, she spotted Hiruto and Sanjiro ahead as well as Mei rushing to catch up to them. Shino smirked and rolled her eyes. Shino didn't rush; if she was interested in people, they came to her. Still, her eyes lit up at seeing Momonaga-sensei. "Momonaga-sensei! Good Morning!" she approached excitedly. "I just finished the story you recommended, Nyoin no Nikki, last night. It's so pretty and sad! Do you have more stories like that?"
This message was last edited by the player at 13:30, Thu 11 Mar 2021.

Hiruto flushed a shade redder and shook his head. It was not entirely clear if the gesture was meant in reply to his first question, or the second, and he did not seem eager to explain himself. "That's alright, but thanks." there was a brief sigh.

Hiruto did not assume his present shape by accident. The boy loved food, from heavy savory dishes to colorful sweets, and it was only within the last couple of years that his family, and his instructors had really been encouraging him to eat less and exercise more. It was an ongoing war, and not all his battles in that respect could be called victories.

"Did you see Shino's dress? The cost of it could probably feed a hamlet for a year. Beautiful though." he admitted with another glance behind them. Unlike many of his peers, Hiruto had some appreciation for the gulf that separated the Heimen and Shokugyousha from their superiors. That was not to say that he argued against it, far from it, he had embraced his place in the order of things. It was just a facet that had helped to shape his humble personality.

"How did this morning go? Are you feeling alright?" he asked afterward with a hint of concern.

Chuckling softly, Sanjiro elbowed his friend gently in the ribs but let the topic drop.  "Appreciation of beauty is the beginning of wisdom my friend.  Or so said Shinsei at any rate." Sanjiro quipped, idly quoting the Tao with a smile.  "But you would be quite correct, on both counts."

Pausing for a moment to smooth out a crease in his fiery orange robes, Sanjiro nodded "Yes, I'm just tired is all.  We tried something new today and it was... well, let's just say it was a little more taxing than I expected.  But thank you for your concern my friend, I certainly appreciate it."

However further conversation would have to wait, as hearing the patter of rapidly approaching steps, Sanjiro glanced backward just in time to see Mei approach.  Inclining his head slightly in greeting, he smiled warmly.  "Mei-san, good morning."  He wasn't normally this formal with the other children, but with any Lion it always seemed best to er on the side of caution.  At least in public at any rate.
This message was last edited by the player at 13:08, Fri 12 Mar 2021.

Momonaga continued to greet each child as they arrived, waving with both hands in a quite over exaggerated manner.

"Good morning, Hiruto-chan! Good morning, Sanjiro-chan!" she chimed like a bell as the two boys arrived together..

"Good morning, Mei-chan" she cooed before taking on a sudden and somewhat bemusingly overly serious face and returning the bow greeting that the Lion girl offered.

And when Bayushi Shino arrived, she chimed just has happily to her, "Good morning, Shino-chan!"

At the question, she fluttered only a little before clapping her hands together with delight. "Of course, Shino-chan! There are many new books ranging from Miya Yumi's collection of tales from affair to Otomo Ishihama's tales of the last days of the court of Shogun Hantei Jodan!"

Of course, she could not stop for very long as there were many more children coming to greet. She didn't miss a beat to turn away to greet the next, "Good morning, Aika-chan!" she called to the next girl to approach after Shino.

Looking back to Shino with an unspoken apology and the suggestion, "You should see me after class."


Inside the classroom a pair of boys already sitting at their decks and wearing the brown and light green robes that were so predominant among the classroom could be overheard by Hiruto and Sanjiro as they came closer into the classroom.

"... and that's the fifth merchant this week."

"But why would anyone steal cucumbers?"

"That's the mysterious part. But Tsukitomo says the merchant saw a very round child flee into the alleyway and disappear."

"Very round child? You don't think..."

As if of the same mind the two boys both turned their head to gaze in Hiruto's general direction. Then, as if realizing only then that he had arrived and was close enough to hear, they both suddenly turned their attention to their books pretending to be very much engaged in reading.
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:15, Thu 11 Mar 2021.

It took a moment for Hiruto to realize that his classmates had actually inferred that he could some how be associated with a theft from the market.

Cucumbers of all things!

By the time he had gathered his wits, the two were back to their studies, but he was left feeling mildly confused and indignant. How could they think such a thing about him? And how many others might think the same?

"Sanjiro..." he whispered when he felt he could get away from it. ""Psst, Sanjiro, have you heard about these thefts in the market? Apparently there is some child, well, shaped like me, that was seen running away, and now some are looking at me with suspicion. Can you believe it?" he rattled off, obviously bothered by the notion of being associated in anybody's mind with criminality.

Shino walked to class happily thinking about what type of books were in Miya Yumi's collection. Still, she overheard the rumor immediately upon entering the classroom. That was the other reason for coming early.

She quickly put her hand to her mouth to cover her snort of laughter. That was too rich. Hilarious as rumors go, but amateurish.

She walked up to Sanjiro, Hiruto, and Mei with a wide smile.

"Morning Isawa-san, Akoto-san. Kano-san, I just heard of your accomplishments. Good job!" she started sweetly. "Keep it up, you might actually lose weight!"

"Good morning, Bayushi-san," Mei returned the greeting, managing to keep her stoic demeanor for the moment at least. She considered a retort to the other girl but it was rarely wise to enter fights you couldn't win. And she knew it was difficult to win being mean against Shino.

"Maybe there's some kind of misunderstanding?" she offered, trying not to insert herself into Hiruto's conversation but, well, he was difficult not to hear.

Frowning slightly as he overheard the conversation between the two boys, Sanjiro glanced over at Hiruto.  It wasn't hard to figure out what the two were implying after all, and he wanted to see how his friend would react.  Thankfully Hiruto let the matter drop, instead choosing to whisper worriedly to his friend.

Leaning over, the young Phoenix murmured softly "I wouldn't be overly worried about it my friend, as I'm pretty sure the tale has changed every time I've heard it told.  It's just a funny story and gives people something to gossip about."


Speaking of gossip, scant moments later Shino approached the pair and inserted herself into the conversation.  Something dark slithered behind Sanjiro's eyes for a moment as she took a jab at Hiruto, but it was fleeting, and so when he replied just a second later, his tone was one of perfect politeness.  "Bayushi-san, good morning.

Pointedly ignoring the Scorpion's quip, he gave Mei a nod of agreement, as he continued "Still, it seems that it might be the perfect thing for the Investigators to look into, what say you all?

Hiruto frowned at the jab about his weight, and the notion that the rumor had spread so quickly as he covertly adjusted his clothing to make himself briefly appear more svelt.

With Shino and Mei having joined them, he nodded to the Akodo's sentiments before he chimed in after Sanjiro. "My thoughts exactly, if we can catch the real thief it would clear my name, and besides, I am sure the merchants are not excited about losing their profits. If the guards have not caught them yet, perhaps we could be the ones to do it?" he looked around again. "When should we meet?'

Shino clicked her tongue irritably but moved on. Other clans just didn't know how to have fun. She couldn't imagine how any of them would get on in actual Court.

"Please, if you want to clear your name, it's much simpler than that. It's an obvious rumor, can't stand on its own legs. Why would Kano-san steal cucumbers? It's not like you like cucumbers, right?" Shino quipped.

"I can just drop a mention of a Mantis clan urchin or something and half the school won't even remember you. You want me to?" Shino raised an eyebrow and smirked temptingly at Hiruto.

"Honestly, it might actually be those criminals, because who actually bothers to steal cucumbers? They're cheap." she continued theorizing, now genuinely curious. She smiled her own personal catlike smile. "I smell a very interesting story. We should meet at this merchant's stall after school."

Merchants? Profits? There were few ways quicker to earning Mei's disapproval. A frown hits the corners of her mouth, but her brow is less able to hide her feelings. Furrowing together at the scent of a whiff of a suggestion that money might be involved in whatever they were soon to be dealing.

"Um," Mei said, glancing to a side. Shifting in where she stood. Turning over the possibilities and justifications in her head. And the possibilities. But Mei- for all her struggles to maintain face- was easily read.

"It is our duty to guard the well being of the peasantry," she finally found her way into agreement. "Especially if someone is making false accusations," she looked toward Hiruto.

"Agreed.  And I think we should talk to Reju-sama after class and see if we can get a more accurate picture of what's going on.  After all, we have nothing but rumor and speculation to go on, and we all know how accurate that is..." Sanjiro replied, his gaze lingering on a certain Scorpion for just a moment longer than the others as he spoke.
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 19:42, Sat 13 Mar 2021.

Hiruto seemed somewhat relieved. Although the notion that he was being associated with this sort of thing obviously bothered him, the hope that their group could get to the bottom of things seemed to improve his mood quite a bit.

He shifted a little awkwardly at Mei's response. Which seemed to him textbook, and overly formal, before he replied.

"Thank's guys, and sounds good to me Sanjiro, as soon as we are done with our lessons for the day, we can find Reju-sam and hopefully learn more about what's happened."

Shino smirked, "Technically it was Reju-sama's duty to guard the well-being of the peasantry, but it's only right we provide as much help as we can!" AKA have a wonderful exciting adventure while we do our part. How fun!

Yup, I think we're good to move to post-lesson whenever you want boss types!

After it appears that the last of the children has shuffled into the room for the day, Momonaga-sensei makes her way from the door. She shuffled her feet as she moved, taking at least twice as many steps as necessary to get across the room while her feet made a sweeping sound against the ground as she called out.

"Everyone! Please sit down at your desks! Its time to start today's lesson."

Once she reached the front of the classroom, she turned on her heel and straightened out her kimono as she waited for all the children to sit down at a desk.

Hiruto nodded to the others before he turned and settled into his assigned place.

Like most of the other students his belongings were set neatly nearby, but he was a conspicuous presence even when seated, his bulky profile at odds with most of the other children.

He tried to clear his mind for the lesson, but it was difficult, with all the excitement, the mystery, the disconcerting rumors and the promise of lunch and his more specific tutelage waiting for him later in the day.

Bright golden eyes flicked up from the washi before them to catch the sensie's call to attension. "Hai," the soft, crisp, voice noted her readiness, and attention.

Where eyes of gold called to be seen, what remained of Ichiko did not.  Draped in a kinmono of browns, a darker one for the collar, cuffs, and edges, and a lighter brown for the main body, Ichiko's small frame nearly disappeared into her desk.  Only the speckles of bright green in her obi, cut the disguise, much like golden eyes broke the plainness of her facial features.

She had been there, first in class, today, as often was the case, but Ichiko read or wrote, not bothering in conversations being had by her colleagues.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:47, Sun 14 Mar 2021.

Scant moments after their teacher called for quiet, and for everyone to take their seats, the group scattered, Sanjiro quickly making for his usual desk at the front of the classroom and next to Ichiko.  Catching her gaze for just a moment, he flashed the reclusive Owl girl a warm smile, before taking his seat.

As Momonaga-sensei waited on the handful of stragglers, flashing the various offenders a stern look that quickly sent them diving for their desks, Sanjiro took a deep breath to steady himself, forcing his mind to focus on the lesson ahead.  The mysteries of the afternoon's adventure would simply have to wait.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:15, Sun 14 Mar 2021.

Mei fell into place quickly, taking her normal seat. Writing kit coming out quickly, setting everything precisely in its place. Sitting straight, attention forward. Or trying to, at least. Her attention peeled aside to a note she'd scribbled in the morning. Dots on a page- her go game against her father.

Biting her lip, Mei started trying to figure out a way through her current engagement in the southwestern corner of the map.

The warm smile of the Phoenix met a dispassionate glance from the Owl.  In his fleeting glimpse he caught on the washi a title that read 'Cucumber thief' before her small quick fingers pulled it, and tucked it beneath a fresh sheet.

Shino took her usual seat right in the middle of the room. She loved Momonaga-sensei's class the most, but she never took the front row. She sat right where Sensei's eyeline was the most comfortable, and sometimes she answered more questions than the nerds up front. When she wanted to.

It also let her blend back into the anonymity of the class when the dreaded historical questions came up.
She just didn't like learning names and dates...

Once everyone seemed ready, Momonaga took an exaggerated deep breath before speaking loudly and clearly so that everyone, even those at the back, could hear her.

"Today we are going to talk about a story I am sure many of you have heard before. It is a story that Shinsei-sama told to Hantei-sama and Togashi-sama," she announced while keeping her hands folded before her as if to set the example of being peaceful to the students.

She closed her eyes momentarily as though to let her mind escape into another world. When she opened it, she had a more dream-like quality sparkling in them. Her hands unfolded and she began to make sweeping motions with her hands as she told the story.

"There was once an old farmer who had worked diligently on his crops for many years. But then one day, as he was tilling the fields with his horse, a crow that had been eating some of the rice sprung up from within the field."

She made one hand flat and traced a line with one finger of her other hand to show the motion.

"The suddenly movement scared the horse and, before the farmer could do anything, it ran away!!"

She suddenly moved both her arms to the side in a sweeping motion as if to simulate the horse moving past before cutting her hands to her cheeks and making an exaggerated gasp with wide eyes.

"Later, the neighbor heard about this and came by."

She turned to the left taking on the character of the consoling neighbor as she spoke the lines, "I am so saddened to hear about this happening to you. It's such a calamity!"

Returning to her narrator character she turned face forward and asked, "But-- do you know what the farmer said?!" It was a rhetorical question, she did not wait for an answer before giving it. After all-- many, if not all, had surely heard this story before.

Turning to the right and took on the mannerism of a rather relaxed and content old man. With a shrug, she said "Maybe."

Then turning back to the class she went on, "The next day, his horse returned with 3 more wild horses!" she held up three fingers to emphasize the additional horses the farmer had gained.

Turning to the left she once again took on the character of the neighbor, this time not bothering to explain the character change. This character was far more cheery as he congratulated the old farmer. "Wow! You are so very lucky!! This must truly be a blessing!!"

Then, turning to the right, she once again assumed the character of the old man who took this too in stride, "Maybe."

Then, becoming the narrator again, Momonaga went on. "But the next day, the farmer's teenage son, delighted with the new horses, decided to try to ride one."

She pantomimed getting onto a horse as he continued, "The horse jolted and the boy fell off and broke his leg!!"

She went to the floor herself before reaching down and holding her leg pretending it was hurt, though not in a convincing enough manner that anyone should think it real. Especially with the calmness that she continued, "Oh, no!! Now I will not be able to help my father tend the fields!"

Rising back up quickly, she turned to the left once again taking on the voice of the neighbor. "This is truly tragic! So many disasters in just a few days, surely you must be cursed!!"

Then, turning to the right and taking on the calm demeanor of the farmer, a shrug and yet another "Maybe."

Once again becoming the narrator, she continued, "The next day the warlord came looking for boys to conscript into his army," she puffed herself up as much as someone like her could, put a mean look on her face and made a few stomping steps to give the impression of the warlord.

Then pointing towards the ground, in the deep, booming voice of the warlord she said, "You can't even walk! You are no good to me!!" and then turned around and made a few stomping steps the other direction to indicate that the warlord had left the scene.

But quickly sliding back into the regular place with a couple sidesteps, she once again took on the role of the neighbor character. "This is so very wonderful for you! Had your son not been injured when he was, surely he would be marching to his death! Truly the heavens must smile upon you!!"

Then, turning to the right, she took on the character of the calm old farmer and merely gave a shrug and a "Maybe."

And, the story having concluded, she turned back to the class. Her breathing was noticeably a little heavier after having put on this performance, but she did her best to maintain composure and folded her hands before herself.

As herself once again-- not the narrator, not the neighbor nor the farmer-- she asked the students. "What do you think Shinsei-sama wished us to understand through this story?"

Watching Momonaga-sensei act out the story, Sanjiro couldn't help but smile.  Her enthusiasm and willingness to step into character made things far more enjoyable than if he had simply read the story off of a page.

So enraptured was he with her performance, that it took the Phoenix a few moments to snap out of his stupor and remember that she had asked a question.  Thankfully more than a few of his classmates seemed to be in the same boat, and so despite the delay, he was the first to answer, saying simply "It seems to me that Shinsei-sama was saying good or bad is simply a matter of perspective.  Nothing is inherently either, rather it is thinking that makes it so."
This message was lightly edited by the player at 17:54, Mon 15 Mar 2021.

Eyes widened at the challenge before them. Ichiko had waited patiently for the Phoenix to speak, and she was overjoyed at the thought that he missed the deeper lesson.  A corner of her lip arched up before she contained her glee enough to straighten her lips once more.

"Shinsei-sama is saying we should not focus on perspectives," she chose the word to better correct the Sanjiro, and lingered on it a bit longer to emphasize the point she was about to make.  "Of good or bad when speaking of what destiny has planned for us."

"But focus instead on applying the lessons we have learned and the lessons destiny is teaching us, on our journey towards enlightenment."

Satisfied with her answer she fell back to silence.

Mei looked up only when a warlord was mentioned in the story. But once she realized that it was just the story of the farmer and the horses her attention began to wander again. The story was one she'd heard a hundred times before- the stories Shinsei had told the Kami were well known. Even in a household where the Tao had never crossed the threshold.

Her attention turned down to the notation on her go game. Biting her tongue gently as she attempted to reason out her father's possible reaction to her next move. Tapping her charcoal pencil against an empty spot on her paper as she thought.

Hiruto considered the story. It was the first time he had heard it told in such a way, although he recognized the elements from a few others he had heard. Perhaps the new telling gave him some fresh perspective, or perhaps he simply played off the answers of the other students.

"I think Shinsei-sama is speaking of wisdom." he said somewhat simply in comparison to the other answers. "The sort of wisdom that comes from a long life close the earth. Whatever comes, the man is still a farmer, and he has learned to meet each situation with a calm and patient heart." he chimed in when his turn presented itself.

Shino listened in rapt attention, awed by Momonaga-sensei's craft. She was just so talented, there were practiced Sentaki courtiers in her father's Court, seasoned veterans in stageplay and showmanship, and they could not hold a candle to her skill.

Shino loved literature class because of the art of presentation and showmanship; she loved to watch the art of storytelling in action.
As her fellow students gave their answers to the question, Shino also raised an eyebrow and appreciated the revealing nature behind their responses.

Sanjiro, introspective and nerdy as always, brought up perspective and impermanence, matters important to a Phoenix.
Ichiko, walking textbook that she was, stressed the importance of learning from experience. Shino's mother would constantly nag her about her own studies. Seriously, Owls...
Hiruto spoke of calm and patience, moving slowly and living a long life. Shino suddenly pictured a turtle in her mind, and despite the profundity of Hiruto's point, she couldn't help but giggle.
Mei, well she was always silent in this class. That was telling by itself.

Then there was her own answer. Shino smiled wryly to herself. The first line in her head was also too telling about her, but she might as well participate.

"Shinsei-sama was saying there is nothing truly good or bad, everything depends on how we utilize the situation." Shino added to the growing chorus of answers.

Momonaga seemed to consider the words of each of the children carefully. With an exaggerated, "Hmmmm" and tilting her head to the side with a finger to her temple. After a moment, she spoke up softly.

"These are all good lessons, children. But I think they might be better illustrated with other tales," she mused.

"Well, Sanjiro-chan and Shino-chan bring up a similar point. The things in the story that seemed to be bad at the moment turned out to be good and the things that seemed to be good turned out bad... But did the farmer's attitude about it really make the events a blessing or a curse, or did he take any particular actions that changed his fate? It seems that things merely happened to him and he took them in stride." she explained while suggesting that these answers were a bit incomplete.

"Besides," she added, "Is Shinsei-sama truly saying there is nothing that could happen that would be bad? We all know that he led the Thunders to battle and defeat the dark one. If he felt there was nothing that could ever happen that was bad, then why not allow darkness to win and advised the people to simply welcome it and make it a blessing in their minds?"

It seemed an extreme example to cite the foundational story of the empire-- but it was a rare example in which one could truly say that Shinsei did something rather than merely said something.

"Ichiko-chan saw something very similar. But I also wonder if its the right lesson here. I don't recall anything in the story about anyone learning a lesson and applying it. For such  story wouldn't we wish to see the farmer before and after learning such a lesson? I suppose we might guess that the farmer used to be more like his neighbor, but we would only be guessing," she continued still not feeling as if the essence of the thing had yet been found.

"And Hiruto-chan is correct in recognizing the traits of the hero of our story, but if we could learn nothing from hearing the story and instead could only gain wisdom from being like the hero, then why would Shinsei-sama have bothered to tell the tale? Surely we are meant to recognize why his attitude was wise rather than merely what traits he had."

As her gaze swept across the children, she added, "But there is something to be said for a life where you live in the moment and free yourself from distractions. It seems that there are some minds distracted with thoughts of future plans rather than being here with us now."

Hiruto considered this question for some time. There was something there... something beyond merely recognizing that the farmer was wise for not acting rashly or dramatically over every change in his life.

But the boy had trouble forming those thoughts into a fitting answer. While he could picture what he meant, his vocabulary failed him for the moment.

"Hmm" Hiruto eventually replied, in a pensive way. He sat back and crossed his arms contemplation and nodded slightly to himself, then again at Momonaga-sensai.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:51, Tue 16 Mar 2021.

Sanjiro could barely hide his annoyance as Ichiko spoke up in her typical smug fashion in an attempt to make him look foolish.  Thankfully the others quickly shared their thoughts, and so any anger he might have felt towards the Owl girl quickly faded.  Besides, this was hardly the first time that the two disagreed on something or taken veiled potshots at the other's ideas, and it certainly wouldn't be the last.

When his classmates had all finished and Momonaga addressed the children, the young Phoenix listened, his expression carefully neutral.  She too seemed to have missed the point he was trying to make, but that was fine.  What bothered him more was that their teacher seemed to have combined his answer with Shinos, which made no sense as they were clearly making different points, even if they were similar.  And that difference was quite important, especially as it spoke to the core philosophical differences between the two clans.

Still, that didn't mean that the rest of her point was invalid, and given the fact that she very well could be talking about the Investigators and their afternoon plans, he couldn't help but flush slightly.

Mei sighed, but quickly caught herself. Striking out the most recent iteration of her go game. There was something there she was missing. It was aggravating, but not something she could solve now. When she looked up again, it was startling how much time had passed. She'd missed the entire lesson!

Again.

The Lion cub tried to sit up straight, looking ahead to prove she was paying attention. Training her eyes on Momonaga-sensei. Trying to effect a studious look.

Shino sat back in her chair with a puffy pout, looking thoughtful. She disliked history, but even she knew of Shinsei-sama's battle with the dark one. It seemed entirely contradictory to the story though, and Shino felt like she missed something.

If Shino had wanted to tell this story with the meaning as she saw it, she would just never mention Shinsei-sama's battle, so as not to dilute the point. But the way Momonaga-sensei taught the class made her ponder in confusion. Shinsei-sama was really inscrutable...

"Maybe, good and bad exist together? There is bad things in good, and good things in bad?" she ventured again, enthralled in the lesson. "The dark one was bad, but the Thunders are inspirations to the Empire now; legends fundamental to how each clan aspires to be. And that's the good in the bad...right?"

Shino smiled hopefully.

Momonaga seemed a little disappointed that the children didn't offer new ideas or try to defend their points. However, she lit up as Shino spoke up.

Giving several quick nods with a smile she chimed up, "I think Shino-chan might be on the right track here. The things that seemed to be initially bad led to good things to happen and the things that initially seemed good led to bad things to happen."

Pretending to muse it over she further explained her thoughts on this, she then suggested, "Simply because things seemed to turn out well in the case of this farmer by the end of the story, can we really say that bad things always lead to good? For example. The farmer losing his horse was an accident. But if it would always turn out that the horse would come back with more horses, then wouldn't a clever farmer intentionally set his horse free and sit back expecting good results? Or if the horse coming back and bringing more horses is an unusual outcome-- then how might a story of a similar farmer be different if the horse simply never came back?"

Her gaze swept across the classroom looking for anyone who might be able to imagine the scenarios and consider how such things might play out.

Hiruto seemed to find what he was looking for and raised his hand. When called upon, he replied. "Could it be a way of saying that we should hope for the best, and prepare for the worst?" he posited. "If the farmer believes is horse is gone forever, or that his son will not be able to help with the crop that season, he can make his plans to pull through regardless, and if something fortunate does happen, he has not really lost anything by being better prepared." he shrugged towards the end, evidently not extremely confident in his position.

Conflict arose in the mind of the young girl.  She had not liked the words of Momonaga-sensai in response to her answer, but she could not bring herself to contradict or challenge the sensai openly in class.  This conflict of thought played upon little Ichiko's face, but she held to her silence, choosing to listen rather than speak.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:19, Wed 17 Mar 2021.

Mei hadn't been listening, but she knew the story. And more than the story, she knew how tedious Shinsei's stories were. And this one was no different. Clearly, the reaction of the rest of the class showed that. Mei would normally keep silent- not wanting to protest against their teacher's lesson too loudly. But her annoyance with the game and the story were both making her face wear thin.

"A skilled general must find their opportunities. To delay is lose," Mei quoted from something she'd read- probably Leadership but she didn't slow down enough to explain. Frustration in her voice. "The farmer doesn't do anything, or learn anything, or help anyone. When things happen that make it so he can't pay his tax he stands around. When his lord needs soldiers to defend them he shrugs. In the end he doesn't do his duty, he can't work his farm, and lord is weaker. Then the farmer stands around doing nothing and not trying to do anything!"

Shino leaned back and almost audibly groaned. How like a Lion to totally not get the message. Even Hiruto in the famously uncouth Crab clan at least tried to get it. Still, beneath her exasperation, she couldn't help watching Mei's retort gleefully. That girl was always so uptight, always trying soooo hard; this was almost a crack in that porcelain mask. Almost.

"Yes, why wasn't the peasant exhibiting the pure virtues of a samurai? Doesn't he know he's expected to be one even though he wasn't born into that station in life?" Shino added mischievously. The atmosphere in the room was not at all the calm contemplation that Shinsei-sama probably wanted to provoke with his stories. Confusion, hurt pride, frustration; it was all so delicious, she just had to stir up the pot.

"Surely a farmer that was trying to tend to his crops all day could afford to spend an entire day looking for his lost horse, being proactive. Of course, he wasn't working his farm during the entire story to fulfill his tax quotas, that explains it.
Surely a boy with a broken leg should just fix it right up so he can rush off to war and die a needless death. He's obviously expected to, he has all the other perks and training of a bushi, why shouldn't he die like one?
What an excellent example of Compassionate thinking to outshine Shinsei-sama!"

Shino practically cackled from her seat before eyeing Mei expectantly. Show me the real you, Mei-chan, not quotes from some random book. What do you actually believe?

Eye's narrowed at the Lion's words.  Where Ichiko was willing to bite her tongue once more, her sister scorpion had struck, and so she followed, releasing anger felt at Momonaga-sensai remarks to her answer, but directing it at Mei instead.  "The story makes no mention of the actions of the farmers.  Simply because it does not state what action he took, does not mean he took none, only that it wasn't important to the story," she snapped.

Realizing this was the lesson Momonaga-sensai was saying about Ichiko's own anwer, the anger left her as soon as the words left her.

"Momonaga-sensai can this be a story about our desire to attribute significance to events that may have none?  How we sometimes wish to ascribe misfortune, luck, curses, and blessings into our lives when they are nothing but simple happenstance, our failings, or hard work bearing fruit?"

Then Ichiko smiled, one meant more for herself at the possibility of a joke wrapped in the puzzle.  "If so, it would be funny that Shinsei-sama would put it in such a simple tale and leave us to ponder its significance, only to be made to question our need to place significance to everything."
This message was last edited by the player at 11:57, Fri 19 Mar 2021.

These latest answers seemed far more pleasing to the teacher. She even seemed to be pleased with Mei's outburst-- it was far better than having her focus on the game of Go. The smile on her face definitely widened.

"I think you are all starting to circle the thing."

First, addressing the point made by the Crab Clan boy, ""Yes, Hiruto-chan. I think it is important that even the bad things in the story were burdens, but not insurmountable. Compared to his neighbor who became excited and saw every mild change in the world in the most extreme way, the farmer was withholding judgement and continuing to persevere.

Which continued directly into Mei's objection. "Meichan-- The farmer's duty is to produce food from the fields to see that the people of his nation are fed. The story states he has been doing it for many years, surely since before he had a son or a horse. What left you with the idea that the farmer simply stood around rather than simply continuing with the extra burden? As for the son, if we consider the rhythm of the story-- does it not seem as though him going to war might have turned out for the better?"

Still, Shino had gone a bit far with those comments and she had to chide her for it. "Shino-chan-- while you are correct that one should consider the different paths people walk before expecting the same behavior-- you should try to show a bit more compassion to your classmates as well."

Then she nodded at Ichiko's response. "Yes, that's true Ichiko. Each time the neighbor was willing to ascribe things to extreme supernatural forces when they were very much the mundane ups and downs of life. But-- you are right that it wouldn't be a fable without meaning."

Momonaga, as if becoming aware of the time, then folded her hands together before explaining her own interpretation-- one she had hoped would be offered up by now. "When I hear this fable, an important thing to me is that the farmer never said his neighbor was necessarily wrong. What seemed like a tragedy could have led to more tragedy, what could have seemed like a stroke of luck could have led to further blessings. But the neighbor simply followed her first impression while the farmer reserved judgement. Until events had fully played out or the situation fully understood, then how can one say for any certainty whether things were good or bad?"

Shino obediently quieted down and said, "Yes Sensei. I'm sorry Mei-chan; I spoke out of line."
It was the appropriate response, and the tone she had to take now that the class was quickly being reigned back into control. It had been fun while it lasted, but the lesson was coming to a close anyway. Shino still thoroughly enjoyed Momonaga's class.

Hiruto seemed mildly distracted by the low key dispute, but not to the point to where he had abandoned the lesson entirely.

In fact he was a little lost until the very end, where the lesson was summed up for him. He nodded somewhat to himself, although he did not seem to feel he had anything worth while to contribute, but he  attended to his instructor and seemed to get something out of the exercise.

"Do not jump to conclusions...it is not over till it is over" he paraphrased as he envisioned the characters he might use to arrange the words into something more concise and memorable.

Then he suddenly smiled to himself in quiet contemplation.

He glanced around as some of the other students started to gather their things, and followed their example. It did seem like they were running out of time for this particular lesson.
This message was lightly edited by the player at 13:48, Sat 20 Mar 2021.

Mei looked, for a moment, as if she were about to turn on Shino and retort. Fortunately for her, their sensei interrupted before the Lion could fully formulate her response. Mei pulled in a deep, calming breath. Deep enough to show that she needed to stay calm. Placid expression returning. But her attention soon returned to the little scrawl of go games on her piece of paper.

A mind wondered on meaning, following strands of thoughts hung on words.  Ichiko's smile gave way to quizzical consideration as she delved the meaning of her teacher's words.  This time she did not share her thoughts, as she played and wondered in her mind and turned to the paper on her desk and writing on them a word or two to capture her wondering mind.
This message was last edited by the player at 13:55, Mon 22 Mar 2021.

Normally Sanjiro would have inserted himself into the fracas, defending his point and attacking the others' but he was surprisingly subdued, seemingly content to listen to everyone else.  That was until the end of the lecture, and he couldn't help but ask "But is any situation ever truly played out Momonaga-sensei?  After all, can the true effects of something not take years, centuries even, before becoming clear?  I mean, are we still not experiencing the ramifications of the kami's fall?"

Pausing for just a moment, his expression rather pensive, Sanjiro quickly added "And it strikes me that unless one achieves enlightenment, then you can't truly claim to understand a situation fully."
This message was last edited by the player at 14:45, Thu 25 Mar 2021.

The teacher considered Sanjiro's question for a moment before speaking aloud as she was considering the implications of that, "If something doesn't occur until years or centuries after something else, I think it becomes very difficult to say that anything was the result of a single event or action. I think it would have required many people to make many choices or take many actions that could have balanced it out by then. But it may be worth not judging many things in such an extreme way."

However, snapping back to her cheerful demeanor quickly she chimed, "But I would like to focus on this idea of not rushing to judgement, please. I am certain we have all had experiences where we thought of something one way and then later realized our first thought was incorrect. Perhaps a food or game or book that you initially liked or disliked and then later changed your mind about. We live in a very unique part of Rokugan where many cultures mix, so there are surely many things you may have found strange before getting used to them."

Sweeping an arm out to indicate the writing desks before the students, she then explained, "For today's assignment, I would like you to write a story about a time when you realized that you judged something too quickly and you changed your mind."

(The writing assignment will be a Composition Skill Test. As creativity is key thinking of what to tell about and how to tell it, Fire has an advantage here, so you get 1 free success if you use the Fire ring. Please see the thread on How to Roll for Checks link to a message in this game. We are really just testing the system here so we can get used to it.)
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:54, Thu 25 Mar 2021.

Hiruto set to the task of completing the assignment along with the rest of the class. His parchment laid out, his ink well primed, his brushes set to the side.

These were unremarkable supplies, the same as one might find on the desk of any low level clerk or scribe.

He knew at once what he would write about, and soon his blocky, inelegant characters were filling the coarse parchment line by line.

He wrote about his first experience with Jiu-jitsu. How his first day had been a trying experience, with the other students showing no mercy at all, and how he had been forced to take a long break because he had become exhausted. How his body had ached all over the following morning.

But the story eventually transitioned into how he came to understand the lessons, and how he began practicing with another newer student that patiently allowed him to practice the various drills.

How over time he began to rely more upon skill then brute force, allowing him to endure even very long training sessions.

He wrapped up with a neat summary about how something he had once dreaded attending is now the highlight of his day, and how tragic it might have been if he had followed his first impulse.

07:13, Today: Kano Hiruto rolled 1 using 1d6, unique dice with rolls of 1.  Explosive Success.

07:12, Today: Kano Hiruto rolled 9 using 2d6, unique dice with rolls of 6,3.  Fire Ring, Candor, No Skill in Composition.

Will take the Opportunity to gain 1 free success on your next check by the end of the scene.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:21, Fri 26 Mar 2021.

Sanjiro's mouth quirked upwards in amusement, and he seemed ready to reply to their teacher once again, but her assignment for the class quickly killed any reply the young Phoenix might muster.

Thinking back to his lesson this morning, Sanjiro began to furiously scribble away, his thoughts pouring onto the paper.

For as long as he could remember his mother insisted that he be treated with the respect due his station, and to ignore the servants as they scurried about, wordlessly doing their duties.  And for the early years of his life, he accepted this without hesitation as it was, the natural order of things.

But it was his training with his master that opened his eyes.  After all, when one could sense every person's dreams unfolding and their blood flowing, when one understood that the Elemental Water in their own body is the same as that of a tree, or the clouds overhead, when one knew so intimately that they were truly no different than any other person, then how was such elitism justified?

It was the first time he had put such thoughts down in paper, and he resolved to broach the topic with Junzo-sensei at their next meeting.  He would, no doubt, appreciate the musing, even if Momonaga-sensei would likely feel otherwise.

Isawa Sanjiro rolled 3,16 using 1d6,2d12 with rolls of 3,4,12.  Fire/Composition.
Isawa Sanjiro rolled 10 using 1d12 with rolls of 10.  Explosive Success.

Keeping the 12 and 10, so that's 2 successes and an opportunity from the dice, as well as a free success from using Fire for a total of 3.  Going to use my opportunity in the same way as Kano for a success on my next check in this scene.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:19, Thu 25 Mar 2021.

For a while, Shino just sat, wracking her mind for a time when she judged something too quickly. Her parents and her brother often said one time or another that she judged things too quickly, but she never quite understood what they meant. She had always thought she judged everything just fine and everyone else was overreacting to it. It was a strange sensation to actively think about something she did wrong.

As she continued to stare at the front of the class absentmindedly, a memory did rise from her subconscious, a time where she might've judged things too quickly. She frowned and hesitantly picked up her pen. Flattening out the paper in front of her, she slowly began to write.



At this Shino stopped, realizing her hand was shaking. She promptly put down her pen.
Shino wasn't someone that truly apologized very often. Even when the others looked at her funny for insulting Hiruto, she didn't feel like she said anything wrong or untrue.
And Mei needed to loosen up too, she didn't believe she was wrong to pick on her.
But on that day, so many years ago, when she could only wonder if she'd ever see her again after their fight, she found she didn't care if she'd been right.
Shino put the edge of the pen to her lips, thinking of how to continue. The format abruptly changed into a poem.



OOC:
22:02, Today: Bayushi Shino rolled 5,6 using 2d6,1d12, unique dice with rolls of 4,1,6.  Fire/Composition.

So I'll choose the 2 successes but I got 2 strife as well. Along with the free Fire success, I got 3 successes, but I guess I'll be roleplaying some strife.

A brush glided with ease and grace over the parchment.  Her thoughts weren't with her however, messy and concerned more about appearances than delving into the truth of her.  The words were simple, the thoughts unimaginative, and the exploration shallow.

It spoke of two girls, one noble, and one peasant.  It delved into the first days of their introduction, and how the noble girl looked down at the dirty, smelly peasant girl, thought her dumb, and let her be on her way cleaning after her.  One day the peasant girl asked the noble girl what she was reading, and when she replied rudely the peasant girl apologized.  She would however persist, until one day the noble girl lowered her invited the girl to learn.

No mention of the friendship they shared was written about.  Only that the peasant girl showed intelligence.

OoC:
15:33, Today: Otomo Ichiko rolled 5 using 2d6 ((3,2)). (Fire/Composition)

1 Success for Fire, and 1 Opportunity (A success on the next roll in the scene).

Oh, this was easy. Mei had answered questions like this before. Not written them down, of course. But reassessing history was important to her parents, and even more important to Ikoma Mitsuaki. Mei dipped her brush into the ink-well of her desk and began to write. Her penmanship was atrocious, leaving her pausing, striking characters out, and writing them again. Even her best formed characters were sloppy, careless. More seeking to be done with the assignment than any other goal.

But her story did sprawl. Line after line of detail added. Explaining in painstaking detail the history of Akodo Kazuko, one of her ancestors, who had lead an army into battle against a treacherous Scorpion foe. The story was a classic, with Kazuko sending waves of brave samurai into what turned out to be Scorpion traps and ambushes, never scouting or seeming to prepare. Foolish, obviously. Or so Mei had thought before she later learned the rest of the story.

But no! Because Kazuko had known the entire time about another army, moving to flank the Scorpion general. Had Kazuko withdrawn the Scorpion may have retreated. It had been critical that Kazuko left the Scorpion commander to believe he was constantly on the verge of winning until the position was far too late.

OOC:
22:49, Today: Akodo Mei rolled 6 using 2d6, rerolling max, unique dice with rolls of 2,4.  Fire!

One success (Total 2), one Opportunity, one Strife.

Those that did well on the assignment (3 or more successes) would leave the class feeling fairly pleased with themselves (Remove 1 Strife) while those who didn't do particularly well are likely to spend the rest of the school day second guessing themselves and wishing they could redo it (Gain 2 Strife). Although they wouldn't get any feedback from the teacher until she had a chance to read them by tomorrow.

After a reasonable period of time had ended, Momonaga spoke up to announce the end of class.

"I am afraid we are out of time! You must hurry to the next class. Please hand in your papers on the way out. I look forward to reading them all tonight."

As the students came up to hand in their papers, she collected them neatly with both hands and a chipper "Thank you!"

The next class on the schedule for many of the students (all the PCs) was Astronomy. Officially it was astronomy, but regularly delved into general information about the more mystical aspects of the world. It was taught by Someisa Yui and they would have to travel to a different room for it.

Hiruto left the class feeling like he might have missed the point, or at least some of the nuance that Momonaga-sensai had been asking for. He sighed in a tense way, collected his things, handed over his paper and filed out with the others.

Astronomy not a strong suite for the young Crab. Although he appreciated that there were many things in the world that were outside his comprehension, he had a difficult time getting excited about a science that seemed to him so...distant, and undefined.

He looked a little stern compared to his relatively care free morning, and found his spot for the lesson.

2 Successes total means that Hiruto is up to 3 Strife, 1 from the explosive success, 2 from failing to meet the 3S threshold.

Having made sure to make a second copy of the assignment, which he quickly tucked away into the scroll case at his side, Sanjiro stood and seemed to bound towards Momonaga, quite eager to submit his work for inspection.  Bowing his head respectfully to their teacher, he followed in his friend's footsteps and made his way to their next class.

Finding a spot next to Hiruto, the young Phoenix smiled sympathetically before murmuring "Don't worry, I'll likely be the one making that face after this afternoon's lesson with Goro-sensei.

Teeth bit the lower right corner of pink, youthful lips. Ichiko lingered as she gathered her belongings into her bag.  She felt shame at the paper before her, having failed to serve to her upmost, but concerned about the face she was bound to hold.  A peasant girl and her being such good friends would look poorly on her and her father, she feared.  Torn between these constructed edifices of what being a true noble spirit was, she was at odds with herself.

She had paused and turned to look at Momonaga picking up her paper as she neared the door, then hung her head and made her way to astronomy.  Maybe Someisa Yui would have a quiet whisper to lift her spirits she hoped.

Shino passed the paper in and felt a weight lift off her chest. Somewhere deep inside, she felt relieved to have written that down. Momonaga-sensei would understand at least. Maybe one day she could give it to the one it was intended for...

She picked up her books and said goodbye to Momonaga-sensei, chatting more about the various book recommendations she enjoyed and what to read next. She waited until the last minute before she would be late before finally leaving the classroom. Astronomy with Someisa-sensei was not an enjoyable class for her.

She still managed to catch up to Ichiko as they walked to the other classroom.
"Chiko-chaan!" she said, hugging her cousin from behind. "How's my cute little strawberry?"


OOC: 3 Successes + 2 Strife - 1 Strife = 1 Strife

Mei found herself, at the end of their class time, with a roll of paper overflowing and yet still incomplete. Mark all over with strikes and her messy figures running themselves into one another. No neat spacing. The lines swaying left to right, occasionally leaking drops of ink where her brush was overloaded. She stared at the work as the rest of the students brought up their own stories. She managed to remain mostly passive, only a little furrow across her brow showing her unhappiness.

What a day this was turning out to be. And astronomy next? Mei could truly not imagine a more boring topic. She trooped out of the classroom behind her fellows, making little attempt to keep up.

"Well enough," the quiet voice related. A sense of sadness rang in her voice, for she was not the strong, proud, and bossy Ichiko, as they moved from class to class.  She pushed through the hug, and pressed her walk.  "And I'm not a strawberry," she lashed out in anger, something else the true cause of her mental state.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:16, Fri 02 Apr 2021.

Shino quickly sidled up next to Ichiko instead when she got pushed off. "Of course you are," she teased. "Look how red your cheeks are; I wanna just take a bite."

Shino took a moment to watch her little cousin affectionately. Despite being a city of Owls, this land with its many clans and their differing sensibilities felt very foreign to her. Her only excitement about being sent off for her 'education' was seeing her cousin everyday.

"Oh yeah, did you hear? Did you hear? Some really round thief is stealing cucumbers from the food merchants at market. People seem to think it's Hiruto." Shino giggled, before rolling her eyes and continuing. "Of course, it isn't. He said so, and he's got no reason to after all. He doesn't eat cucumbers."

Shino continued to talk as she could talk for a very long time about nothing. "Of course, I thought maybe it's some Mantis clan people, doing dishonest pirate things. What do you think?" She raised her voice just slightly at this, allowing a couple passing students to hear that one sentence very clearly. She grinned as she saw the kids turn just slightly out of the corner of her eye. Hiruto never asked her to get the school off his back, but she could do this one good deed for him. Maybe it would stick, maybe it wouldn't. It was fun either way.

"So, you wanna come with us Investigators today and check it out? We're gonna talk to Tsukitomo-sama first, then maybe poke around the stalls. It's a mystery!"


OOC: I'd like to make another roll just for fun, using Whispers of the School to spread the rumor that it's dishonest members of the Mantis Clan behind the thefts.
I believe it's a Courtesy(Air) check? I've got Air 3 Courtesy 1,


22:32, Today: Bayushi Shino rolled 10,7 using 3d6,1d12, unique dice with rolls of 3,2,5,7.  Courtesy(Air): Spread Rumors.

I choose 3 (Opportunity), 5 (Success), and 7 (Success, Strife)

This message was last edited by the player at 02:35, Fri 09 Apr 2021.

The astronomy room was considerably different from the culture room. Rather than lines of writing desks, there was one considerably large table in the center of the room. The walls were lined with shelves of scrolls, the majority of them known to be copies of journals detailing how the night sky looked at different times.

Upon the ceiling of the room was painted a map, far longer than it was wide, that detailed the stars found in the skies of Rokugan across the year. Although anyone who had traveled to lands considerably further north or south might have been able to contribute additional information, no such contributions had been used whenever the mural had been created.

The teacher, Someisa Yui, had a far different vibe from the lively teacher of the previous class. A much older and quieter woman, she simply sat quietly at the head of the table for the students to arrive.

Lips held back a smile, trying hard to not reveal their joy, and maintain a stern expression.  "That's just ridiculous," she said finally turning to her cousin, with a hint of joy in her eyes at the invitation. "Mantis? To steal a cucumber?"

"No," she shook her head at the thought. "But maybe slaves from foreign lands on Mantis ships perhaps. One that broke free from a hold, and set about stealing cucumbers."

"Did they get a look at his clothes?"

It was then that she caught herself, putting in check her excitement. She had heard the conversation, and noted the points, while she had quietly sat earlier in the morning.

"I should probably go to make sure none of you get yourselves in trouble," she composed herself, and pulling her face from her cousin to focus on the way to their class in a vain attempt to conceal the thrill she felt at the invitation.

---

Her eyes moved to grab the wonder of the ceiling as she walked in. This was her favourite class, and Someisa Yui was her favourite teacher.  The wise old hag could be funny, insightful, and Ichiko felt that in those eyes there was understanding.  She eagerly found a seat at the front of the class, some of her worries that plagued her from her last class falling to the wayside.

Sanjiro's self effacing remark did it's work as Hiruto cracked a small smile. It seemed to remind him that they all had their strengths...and maybe Storytelling was not his.

The Crab settle down for another lesson. Astrology was important, they would not have taken the time to teach them otherwise, but Hiruto felt his eyes glaze over somewhat as he looked over the complicated and exotic texts and instruments.

And he was already hungry...

"It is interesting how so many things seem already written in the stars, but we still have to make our own decisions. I'm sure there's a reason for it." He sighed, still tense but better than he was.

Shino smiled at Ichiko's excitement, but getting to Astrology quickly sapped her enjoyment. Shino took her usual seat at one of he corners of the long table. Ichiko could be quite unbearable in this particular class. Shino was happy to let her enjoy herself, no doubt with the nerd Sanjiro. The stars were nothing but suspicious to Shino.

She leaned over the table and propped her head up with her arms, looking at the Astrology equipment absentmindedly. Hiruto made a comment from somewhere far away that made Shino pout to herself.

"The stars are just very inefficient spies," she muttered. "It's called actionable intelligence..."

Mei trooped into the astrology room, prepared for a struggle. If Momonaga-sama's class was difficult for her to sit through, Someisa-sama's class was almost a punishment. The topic made little sense, and what could you even do with it? Mei knew that trying to learn about the future or the past from the skies was a little bit foolish. Certainly one could, but why one would when they could read a history or talk to a person made little sense.

Still, there were at least many nice drawings. And the scrolls were interesting, each with their scribe and the names of all the scribes they'd copied from making their own little family trees. She did sometimes like to look at scrolls of the same patch of sky and look for differences. But it was rare they had that much free time.

Mei took her seat on the other side of Shino. Also not her favorite choice of class partner. But she tried to keep it from showing as she took her seat.

Seeing his friendly smile slightly, Sanjiro quickly took his seat next to the Crab as he replied softly, a wry grin flitting about the edge of his face.  "Reading the stars is tricky business my friend.  So is destiny for that matter.  One moment you are self-assured, confident in your path, your prediction, and with its next breath, the universe upends all of that.  And besides, only the face of all that is and is not can reveal the truth."

Akiro entered the room breathing a hard but with a broad smile on his face. His dreads were a mess and he moved quickly to brush them away from his face. He had entered a few wrong rooms not having waited long enough in his excitement to properly record the room he needed to get to. His father was still talking with the master of the school he assumed. People loved to talk slow and pretend to be thoughtful here. It all appeared so fake, as if they were acting out some play.

"Hello," he said, a little loud in his enthusiasm. "Oooooh, woooow, that's looks amazing," his eyes widening in excitement about the image on the ceiling, and forgetting his manners. "I'm Akiro," he slowly said both catching his breath and still lost looking at the details of the ceiling. His hand reached out with a paper, a note from the master of the school, but he made no effort to walk any closer with his attention drawn still drawn to the ceiling.

It would take a few seconds before he caught his manners, and returned his attention to the old sensei. "Oh," he quickly corrected himself, and took a few fast steps towards her with the paper still out in hand. "I'm Battua Akiro," he reintroduced himself, while he struggled to fix his kimono with the other hand, though it was clear he wasn't entirely sure how to go about it.

Catching some dirt on his kimono from the corner of his eye, he slipped his thumb into his mouth, and tried to clean it as discreetly as he could in this awkward situation. The big smile and his bright eyes never left his face, his enthusiasm beaming.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:26, Wed 14 Apr 2021.

A jaw dropped, shock and horror painted on a face.  If human eyes could mimic those of a owl, Ichiko's wide eyes almost did in that moment.  'What was he doing,' her thoughts screamed.  She almost could not watch, wanting to bury her face, feeling shame for the boy.  Had this boy not carried the name of a Unicorn family she would have considered him a mantis peasant in stolen cloths.  From his hair, to his manners, nothing said samurai.  She watched in horror to see what the sensei would do to correct the child.  Even old, quiet, sensei Someisa Yui, must have a limit. She'd never seen it, but she suspected it had to have been reached.

Akiro saw the girl sitting in the front with her mouth open and couldn't resist mimicking her for a second before returning to his happy smile.  It was clearly not malicious and simply a way to get her and maybe others to laugh.  Only he couldn't keep his attention on her, not yet anyways, as he turned to the old lady in charge of the class before he got in trouble. He mustered a feigned sheepish expression hoping his entrance hadn't brought too much disruption to the class and that he meant no harm by his actions.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:35, Thu 15 Apr 2021.

Sanjiro's response to their new classmate couldn't have been more different than that of Ichiko.  Where she recoiled in shock and horror, Sanjiro's eye lit up with delight.  A new classmate, and one who likely knew foreign lands, with their different cultures, and new stories was something to be celebrated.  Hopefully they'd get the chance to talk once class was over, as Sanjiro was just brimming with questions.

And so, catching the Unicorn's gaze, he smiled and gestured towards the empty spot next to where he and Kano were seated.

Blood rushed to the skin, to the point it turned pink, and then near red, heat emanating from it.  Anger, embarrassment, and a mix of emotions crossed the nine year old's face at the sight of the reflection of her face in the near savage's features.  'How did he have no shame?,' the frustrating thought crossed her mind, as her mouth closed, and stern face returned.  Her narrowed eyes showed the seriousness she was trying to project, which on the young girl, that was small for her age, looked more cute than frightening, as if she was playing out a character.

Shino giggled. Now this was an excellent start to an Astrology class. The traditional mannerisms, the politeness, respect for station and duty, they were excellent constructs in Court, but they were only constructs. Most people refused to drop them, which in the eyes of a Scorpion made them bigger liars than themselves. Well, it made their jobs harder at least. The honest (and dumb) types that didn't know the difference between the two, now that was an easy mark, almost refreshing in a way. Shino smiled. They were an endangered species and needed protection.

"Hi Battue Akiro!" Shino responded sing-songy, waving at the new Unicorn boy. She giggled again and looked to Someisa-sensei.

Someisa Yui spoke in a soft, patient voice, "Children, children-- please do take your seats."

Taking the note from Battue Akiro, she looked it over, squinting as if straining to make it out, before peering over the note to the boy. Her expression was difficult to read, but she acknowledged simply, "A new student. Battue-san, have you studied Astronomy before?"

It was not unreasonable to ask such a thing. After all, holding it in such high regard sprung primarily from the Seppun family. It spread out beyond the Owl clan a fair bit, but it was considered a fairly fringe study in the lands of most other clans.

"Yes," Akiro said sure of himself with that large smile, eager to answer. "We lay in the grass of the great plains, the great steps, and burning sands, with the fire out on clear skies and watched the stars on many nights studying astronomy. There are seas of grass and great tracks of sand like the great sea of water you have here," he pointed in the direction of where the port would be with a good sense of where it was.

"In parts of it there is no way of knowing which way is which, but up and down, unless you fall off your horse of course, then you won't know even that. Thought I saw a speckled trout flying in the sky once when my horse decided to stop rather than jump over a wide stream," he said with a laugh turning to the other children to see if they found the joke as funny as he did. "Um, so," he tried to quickly correct himself, returning to the question and the sensei. "We look to the great goddess Amaterasu and the stars to guide us."

"We don't have theaters and all the amazing things you have here in the Forest of Dreamers, but we do have stars brighter and fuller out there and we tell their stories many nights. My favorite is the Hunter in the Dark. It is said that good fortune comes to the hunter if you see his arrow fly on a hunt. My parents even say an arrow flew on the night I was born."
This message was last edited by the player at 16:28, Thu 15 Apr 2021.

A head fiercely turned to the sweet giggle ringing in the air. Facing her cousin, Shino, Ichiko mouthed the words, don't encourage the fool, before turning back to the sensei and the fool she was alluding to. She didn't recognize the family name Battue one bit, and wondered if it was a forgotten minor clan.

"Sensei, who are the Battue?," she asked, knowing it was not the class, but in her spite taking the opportunity to put the proud boy in his place.

The question seemed to excite Akiro, it's subtle intent lost on him, or not affecting him. With eyes on the little girl and off of him, he took the opportunity subtly wave a quick hello and raise his eyebrows in eagerness at the pretty girl that had greeted him and the boy that was welcoming him to sit next to him. He then turned to the sensei, seeing if she would allow him to answer the question. There was a certain pride in the telling of the tale for the young Unicorn.

Anger rose, mixing in with the shame of a previous class, and called out for release.  She words were meant to cut and wound not only him, but his whole family.  His ignorance of their intent and his foolish mannerisms infuriated her very being.  Where was his honour?  Where was his duty?  Someone needed to put this gaijin in a kimono in his place!

"It's not a good thing no one knows your family," she blurted out loud.  "And classes aren't done on a field of grass looking at stars.  And furthermore," she pushed out the word to seem more official in her anger, as her mask fell away. "A shooting star at night doesn't mean you'll have good fortune in a hunt.  That's just silly.  Astronomy is important.  It is not a joke!"

"You are dishonouring your family with your behaviour and your hair," the vitriol laced words lashed out at him.  Somewhere deep inside she'd made the connection of the great plains, the steppes, and the burning sands to the Unicorn, and it pained her to see that this boy could be what her mother was/is like.  She wrestled with the horror of it, her dreams and wishful thinking fighting the very notion.  She was hoping he would not say he was of the Unicorn clan.

OoC:

Can I lose a point of Stife by losing my face Amaterasu?

Shino saw Ichiko's face and made a cheeky apology face back at her. She giggled again at Akiro's wave back and looked coyishly away. She had to give her cousin some face.

Still, Ichiko's outburst made her put her hands over her mouth. She could only look groan to herself. Ichiko was so so smart and talented and cute, yet she just didn't know how to use her words. She was as subtle as a sledgehammer yet the arguments fell down like raindrops, dramatically impotent due to her emotions and her timing.

Suddenly, Shino was glad this was Astrology class. Someisa-sensei was at the very least the best at seeing through issues and arguments and perhaps would have some way of defusing the situation without wounding Ichiko's pride too much.

"Sensei, where is he from?" she added pointedly. She tried to support her cousin more smoothly, but it was all she could do to relieve the tension.

His smile softened and there was a sense of feeling sorry for Ichiko in that moment. If he could have a minute to speak with her privately, he knew they would get along. He reasoned something else must have been troubling her and he wanted to help her, make her laugh. He wondered if a silly face would make her laugh like it did his younger siblings and then thought against it.

When the pretty girl asked her question, his smile grew a tad. "If I can sensei," he began.

"Our classes happen in may places among the Unicorn Clan," he said softly speaking as he answered Ichiko. "Under night sky, on horse back, in dark and dangerous woods, within ancient temples and buried in piles of books in dusty libraries."

"My favorite is when they happen around fires on clear night skies, and you can see the spirits carrying the embers high into the sky, where they dance and form blazing images of the stories of old being told," he eyes light up at the memory of those nights. In truth it was his second favorite place, but his first he could not speak off.

"We hold guard around the Forest of the Dreamers, that sits in the shadow of Shiro Iuchi," he answered the pretty girl, but his features darkened as he delved in the more dangerous duties of his family. "It's a dark and dangerous place, and sometimes they escape. It is our duty to hunt them, as it is to hunt others like them. We are not a large family, no great cites, or fertile lands. These things don't serve the duty tasked of my family nor does being known." He ended his point more somberly than he had begun, and a shrug to explain why the lack of knowledge of his family had not concerned him.

"So you don't like my hair?," he noted, remembering Ichiko's last words, while putting a hand through the dreads at the back of his head and returning to his playful nature, with a flick of his brows, and grin.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:28, Fri 16 Apr 2021.

The orderly procession of the Classes had been disrupted, and Hiruto seemed reserved, or perhaps uncertain as the students reacted and tried to absorb the addition of the newcomer.

It took him a long moment, but around the same time that Ichiko spoke out, it occurred to him.

He is my opposite He realized, as his head cocked just a little more.

Where Hiruto was broad statured and heavy, Akiro was skinny and wiry.

Where Hiruto's hair had been shaved to the scalp, in the fashion of some Jiu-Jitsu enthusiasts, Akiro wore his long and in strange little ropes. How did he clean it? Hiruto wondered.

Where Hiruto was naturally very fair, the lands of his Patron clan often laying under a stormy or overcast sky, Akiro had been kissed by the sun from head to foot.

The questions were flying, how? why? where?

And Kano Hiruto saw no reason to add to the chaos, he nodded to his friend Sanjiro and in a fashion to Akiro to show his support, but did not speak.

The teacher reached out her hand slowly, but confidently, gently placing it atop Ichiko's hand and squeezing it lightly. "Otomo-san," she spoke in a voice that was barely above a whisper, "Someone not having the same knowledge as us is simply an opportunity for us to share it, and through sharing it review it ourselves."

Placing the note to the side she motioned Akiro towards the table. "Please sit with your fellow students, Battue-san. It appears you have a loose understanding of the basics. Looking for falling stars is a start, with time you will be surprised just how refined we can make our observations."

Addressing the class more generally now, as more than one had raised the same question, "As Battue-san has expressed, his family is from the Unicorn, specifically they reside within a forest known as the Forest of Dreamers. They are most famous for producing witch hunters, often using methods gathered from lands beyond the empire. I believe a few of you have relatives who carry out a similar duty."

She spoke as though quite knowledgeable about the subject, but the keener minds might pick up how she carefully highlighted both the very exotic and familiar aspects.

Akiro seemed enthusiastic to learn, picked up his school supplies that he had left by the door and made his way to the boys, passing the pretty girl and giving her a smile. He set himself up to learn, pulling out his writing stick and ink stone, then followed it by pulling out his parchment.

He looked to the boys and gave them nod.

A head fell in shame. The moment of anger, a brief release to the tensions the morning had wind up in her.  With it set free Ichiko could think freely once more.  His stories seemed a dream, as if some fantasy.  He seemed free, and how she longed to be free.  She wondered what duties lay in witch hunting and what dangers lay there as well.

A foreign witch hunter that hunted foreign witches.
Shino grinned when Akiro smiled at her and studied him from the corner of her eye.
Their outdoor lessons and backwards traditions seemed out of place to the fineries of high society that Shino was used to, but they seemed to hold a strong oral tradition, just like her family. Perhaps in the ancient past (before most of Rokugan got palaces and theatres to do the storytelling in), they would've been quite similar.

Shino wondered what techniques of witch hunting the boy and his family used. They might be unsophisticated, but they could be very effective. As long as it didn't involve actual Astrology. She was really just trying not to think of what would be in today's lesson...

Hiruto nodded in a welcoming sort of way as Akiro sat down. He did not say as much, but it seemed that as new and exotic as his presence was, that the boy was not going to cause any trouble.

He turned with his own materials, ready to attend the lecture.

After Battue was seated, she added onto her explanation. "A city like ours must be a great departure from what Battue-san is used to. I am sure there are many new sights, sounds, smells and tastes for him to experience in our city," she went on seeming to try to encourage everyone to show kindness and patience towards the new boy and his apparent enthusiasm.

Then she leaned her head back a bit to look up at the star chart on the ceiling, "But his home is not called the Forest of Dreamers for no reason. There are things you can find in remote places of Rokugan that those who live in a city like this never experience. Old, lost, forgotten ghosts, baku born of the imaginations of so many generations of people living here and even youkai."

Turning her attention once again to Akiro she then questioned, "Have you had any personal encounters that you wouldn't mind sharing with everyone?" it wasn't clear whether she had interest herself or if she was hoping that her knowledge on esoteric things might illuminate something in a field she so rarely had the opportunity to discuss.

Akiro's face lightened up, then darkened for dramatic effect, but a coy and mischievous look to his tanned features remained. "In tales of old, powerful words were spun in a battle against a great evil, and in its wake a quiet fell upon the forest," he began, placing both hands on his table as if he was some kind of insect with his elbows up and about him, and his face centered between them.

"Since that night, the unwary, and unlearned who venture into the forest, tempted by their curiosity of the strange lights, beings, and sounds within, are lead into eternal slumber within it's emerald beauty." His hazel eyes, tended to change in shades of brown and greens, but in his excitement they tended to the latter and story time always provoke a degree of excitement. "Sensei said it best of the baku, of how they are born of imagination, and woven in the fabric of dreams deep within Yume-do. They are fleeting spirits in parts like these, visitors made form in Ningen-do only in the strongest of dreams. They are seen only when the dreamer first begins to sleep.  But in the Forest of Dreamers the baku find entry into Ningen-do through the countless sleepers resting beneath the roots of ancient trees, or covered in moss.  It has become a crossroad between worlds.  In their endless sleep the baku have woven pockets in the Forest, cloaked in the dreams of the sleepers, though I heard tales of a baku being stripped of that cloak and their true nature made naked," he laughed immaturely at the thought of something naked for a second. He rose to perch on his seat in excitement.

"So Chichiru and I had been out with my older cousins, Aiko and Hiro, at the edges of the dreamers. My older cousins were nearly samurai and I had bugged them enough to join them. Old Yam Yam always said yes to adventures. It had started out boring but it allowed me to practice my tracking and shooting my bow, until we heard the screams of a girls and a silhouette take her on horse back into the forest."

"My cousins cursed their fortunes, as they couldn't leave me alone so close to the Forest of Dreamers and now were burdened by having to take me into it. But I kept up with them as they had told me to and rode with them into the forest. The tracks were still fresh due to the weight and speed of rider and horse and had carved a trail in the forest brush and soft ground that my baby brother could follow. Only the forest is not always a real forest and straight is not always straight so my cousins made sure to leave the signs for our return as we moved deeper and deeper."

"The problem with crossroads is you don't always know when you cross them. Dreams at times may seem real even when they make no sense. That is the danger of Yume-do. But I have my left foot," and threw a balancing act he stuck out his foot while his hands rested on the desk and chair to help balance him in his crouched position. "It gets itchy when things are wrong. And it started to itch." He pulled the foot back.

"I told Chichiru and she perked right up. Oh," he paused for a second realizing that he needed to explain something. "Chichiru is my weasel friend. We've been friends since I took her in as an injured baby and helped her get better."

"I told my cousins that we were probably at a crossroads but neither listened. But they listened to my council on the tracks since they were now having a hard time following them and I was a good and lucky tracker blessed by the arrow of the Hunter in the Dark. As we came to a small brook we heard the weeping of the girl and my cousins instructed me to stay behind, dismounted, and fanned out. I however only waited just long enough for them to lose sight of me and then followed," he stuck out his tongue and jokingly bit it at his disobedience. "That is when I saw it."

"My cousins were fighting their own minds they would later tell me. Horrors they had imagined. I think Chichiru saw a sugar cane because she held my face with both her tiny paws and began to lick my face. She probably was hungry so that couldn't have helped. Me, I think I saw it as it really was. It was old but it was beautiful. Feathered green, it had hoofed legs like that of a horse. It had the head of an eagle, the tail of a peacock, and the stripes of a tiger, dark green on green. A thin white beard fell from the base of its beak, and it had almost a mane of feathers around its neck. It looked sad to me. It hadn't hurt the girl more than a few light scratches from its beak. I called out to it, asking it to let the girl go, asking it why it was doing what it was doing. It told me only that it was the emerald feathered dream. Several times. I didn't understand it at first but as I looked around I saw its form was in tatters. It wasn't as beautiful as I thought it was at first. Its dream was falling, old and in ruin. I think its tale was slowly being forgotten, its once great dream becoming a memory. So I made a bargain with it that I would find its dream and tell it."

"My cousins and I left that night with the girl. She had come from a far off place and they were tasked to take her there. Since then I've been going to libraries trying to find this emerald feather dream. I think it may be in this city. I have a good feeling about it. I'm a lucky hunter after all," he looked at Ichiko with a happy smile, hoping that she would return it. "And I figured a smart owl, or phoenix could help."

Akiro liked to tell so many stories it was often hard for him to know which were real and which were not. This one was particularly hard. He didn't know if he had dreamed it one night from stories told to him by the fire light or from a story he had picked up in those old libraries his family kept. "Is it bad if I don't know if it was real or not sensei?," he concludes by returning to a proper seated position as he places the most innocent of faces he can muster.

OOC My earth is only 2, so I think I can only take 2 dice.  I take the 6, that explodes to a 2. I take the 12 that explodes to an 11 that explodes to a 3.

3 Successes, 2 Oppertunigty, 3 Strife to tell this tale of Yume-do.
2: Recall information that might be useful later in the scene.
19:34, Today: Battue Akiro rolled 13,34 using 2d6,3d12, rerolling max, unique dice with rolls of 5,(6+2)8,10,(12+11)23,1.  Earth + Theology.
20:06, Today: Battue Akiro rolled 3 using 1d12, rerolling max, unique dice with rolls of 3.  Explosive Success.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:22, Wed 28 Apr 2021.

A giggle sprang up, obscured and muffled though it was by a delicate hand over a mouth.  The mirth sang in her eyes however, at the absurdity of a raised foot, a dirty sole, and the claim that an itch forecast trouble.  The story had spun her from horror and mystery, to comedy and stupidity, and back and forth.

Her head feel upon her desk, and she wrapped it with her arms on either side, resting forehead to forearm.  Her long hair, in no attempt to control its scattering, obscured her visage even more.  She desperately sought a footing to regain her order and for a time thought she had as the story progressed in the world of the dreaming, but the shaking, and muffled laughter returned with the mention of a weasel licking the Unicorn boy's face in hopes of fulfilling its desire for sugar.

She was still nine, though she would not admit it, and she hated the boy for having break her mask on two occasions now.  No she didn't, but she desperately tried.  As the story came to her conclusion, and her mention in obscure terms rose from the boys lip she turned her head.  The veil of hair obscured her features, though through the strands she edged out a view and caught glimpses of that smile directed at her.  She smiled back, though she prayed he had not witnessed it, and pulled it back as quick as it had stretched.

Wiping tears of laughter, and pulling back hair to fashion it once more up, she felt small, looking to see if others had laughed, hoping her immaturity had not been the cause.

"You don't know it's real, but you look for it anyways?," the composed words came out, the cold logic setting in as she began her cross examination.

"Hai," he said sure of himself. "You often don't know if something you hunt exists. You can see its trail but you don't know if another predator or hunter has already found it."

"Yam Yam says it's true. I never got a chance to ask my cousins recently because they went to take the girl home and it was very far away."

Being a child, and being distracted by the prospect of lunch, Hiruto's eyes seemed to glaze over slightly as the story went on.

He was able to maintain his Face, listening and nodding here and there, but Sanjiro especially might recognize that his mind was elsewhere.

When Ichiko chimed in, he glanced over, then to their instructor, and then out the window where he broke into a soft smile, heaved a deep breath and returned to listening.

Shino clasped her hands and put both index fingers to her lips. To a lot of other people in her surrogate household, this was a cheeky little gesture when she was thinking or didn't want to talk. To her, this was a warding charm to banish bad luck. Talk of demons was always bad luck; it was never good to attract their attention.

Shino could only offer a bemused glace at Akiro about the story. On one mind, according to all her training, acting on unconfirmed information was always stupid, and if he had asked her, she would say that of course it was bad that he didn't know if it was real or not. He should be working harder to confirm that it's true. False stories, especially when pursued so single-mindedly, would lead one to be easily manipulated, and Akiro was already dangerously easy to manipulate. Ichiko obviously agreed with this line of thinking.

However, spirits and demons were not within the realm of common sense. The Scorpions were a superstitious lot solely because the fickleness of spirits were one thing they could never spy on, learn about, or account for in their missions.
Shino touched her thumb to her forehead, disguised as an itch. She traced a symbol, normally marked in ash, to ward away bad attention. Then she looked pointedly away from Akiro and toward Someisa-sensei.

The elderly teacher listened to the story quietly and seemed captivated by it. Was it true interest or had she just trained in feigning interest for so many years? Nonetheless, after Akiro finished the story she does answer the question in a soft and serious manner.

"I wish you luck on finding your answers, Battue-san. Although you should know that unlike youkai, baku are stuff of dreams and not really tied to specific forms. They can alter their forms into whatever mortals can dream up. It could have been a unique look to that one. Even if you were to encounter the same one, it could look entirely different."

Having delayed starting today's lesson enough though, and realizing that she would need to cover the basics again, she started the class.

"Now, let's start off easy today, children. Who can tell me the four cardinal animals of the sky?..."


----->

The class went relatively smoothly from there, although it was likely those who were particularly studious would feel that today's lesson was very easy-- perhaps somewhat mitigated by how Someisa Yui gave them all plenty of opportunity to show off what they knew instead of spending almost any time lecturing herself.

Soon enough it was time to break for lunch. As the weather was fine on this day, the children were encouraged to go out to the yard. One of the teachers had laid out mats under the emerald green trees that made up the school yard. Children from across the school were already gathering with their wrapped lunchboxes-- perhaps some of them having helped put out there mats.

The children were allowed to mingle, although for the most part their clothing colors gave away that most tended to divide themselves by clan. Although with three out of every four wearing the brown and green of the Owl, that really just meant that the handful from any other given clan tended to just stick together as clumps between them.

The prospect of food did much to lift young Hiruto's spirits, and his mood seemed to improve as some of the children spread out into the yard.

He selected a little green place under a spreading maple tree, sat down in the bole of the roots and began to arrange his meal in front of him with practical consideration, an expectant smile upon his face. He did not bother with a mat, it was just another bit of decoration in his mind.

He had engaged with the lesson, but he had not stood out in any capacity, largely blending in with the other less exceptional students. But some of the finer points were already being driven out by immediate prospect of rice, fish, a small selection of sauces and some delicious looking bean paste.

He took a mouthful with his chopsticks, smiled, and sighed contentedly. He looked far more at peace that he had been after their first lesson, and listened as the breeze rustled the leaves in the branches above his head.

Shino made her way out of the classroom with a resolved sigh. At least Someisa-sensei always smoothed the tensions in her class. Normally, that meant boredom for Shino, but she had gotten plenty of excitement with the transfer student so the relaxed pace gave her plenty of time to study him.

Shino walked through the crowd, listening quietly to the chatter. Lunch was the biggest rumor mill of the day and the juiciest gossip always twisted itself through the air at this time. She didn't spend too much time eavesdropping today though, instead making her way over to Ichiko's mat.

Taking out her bento box, she took her time opening the box and unpacking the various levels. A large egg and rice level with various seared river fish and cooked lobster. Her family had left specific instructions against sashimi, so the chefs always heavily fried and seasoned her food. It was always delicious but she usually liked trading with some of the other kids that did get sushi and sashimi. The local delicacies were just more exciting sometimes.

She looked around at the other kids close to make sure she and Ichiko had a little privacy before she began.

"So, the new boy provoked quite a reaction from you. Do you wanna talk about it?" she began mildly.

Akiro had taken in with the boys, moving alongside Kano and Sanjiro. "Are you two new to the city too?," he asked looking at their heraldry. "How interesting would it be to be a scout for the Crab clan," he mused as he looked at Kano.

"No, no my Father is a shipwright." Hiruto explained in between bites of his lunch. "We moved here when I was very young" he added, completely oblivious to the fact that he was still very young.

"I don't know much about our Scouts, other than it's very dangerous." he mused as he selected another fat rice ball. "I've never seen the Shadowlands, but I know that the Hida school sends people's into them, alone, as part of their genpuku." he said very seriously. "If that is their final test as Bushi, and the Scouts must go there, well, all the time I would guess, I'd guess they would have to be really tough." he nodded to himself as he took a bite and chewed, swallowed, then looked back to Akiro.

"But if you think you might be interested some day, we could sure use the help." He cracked a small smile. "Your father does not expect you to take up the family trade?" He asked curiously in turn.

"He probably does," he laughed off the question, his right hand finding its way to chop sticks. In truth he always held a closer calling to his mother's teachings, but such teachings were heretical in the restrictive order of Rokugan. The Ujik ways were barely accepted, but their sorcery was not.

"So your family have have a ships?," he probed Kano further. "I ask because I have never been on one."

Hiruto smiled. "Well he designs them, and helps with the building. We don't actually own any of our own." he admitted simply. "But there are a few still up on the stocks we could probably go see, if you really wanted to." he offered instead, then he paused as if puzzled.

"It sounds as if you have travelled all over the place, but you have never been on a ship?" he asked with a slightly raised eyebrow.

*BAM!!*

While not deafening, the sound of the impact that rang out across the school grounds was more than enough to grab the attention of all the children in the school. The source? The body of a boy, fairly dark-skinned compared to most anyone else in the school and rather scrawny and dressed in the teal and sea green of the Mantis clan who had crumpled to the ground, his lunchbox having been dropped to his side upturned and a red mark that would surely form into a bruise on the side of his face.

Over him stood a rather fit boy dressed in the familiar Owl Clan colors, probably a Hantei or a Hyobe from his rather solid build, stood flanked by a smaller member of the same clan and a large boy in dark blue-- no doubt a Crab-- to his other side.

While everyone's attention had been drawn their way, what was being said by the leader of the three boys as he pointed an accusatory finger towards the fallen boy and sneered something with visible contempt on his face.

Like many of the other children, Hiruto stood and stared at the sudden disturbance. He seemed uncertain at first, and glanced around while he tried to listen to what was being said. "I think he just hit him..." he said softly and superfluously to those nearest to him.

Shino perked up with interest. This was a rather public place to be having such an out of control spat. This was sure to be the creation of a variety of new rumors. The lunch
yard was always where the politics of the school seemed to twist and change.

She wormed her way through the crowd trying to get a good look. She would surprise herself if she didn't know of the influential faces on campus, but if she didn't, now was the time to learn cause they just became interesting.


OOC: Roll to put faces to names? What is that, culture?

"He's stupid and silly," Ichiko's curt reply came at his cousin's observation.

"A laugh is all one should afford to a fool like that," a harsh tongue revealed.  "He should have been silenced the moment he walked into class."

She pulled out her food, the small box of stable foods she had grown up with and began to eat.

---

A curious face sprang up from its lowered attention, its lines shaping an annoyance at the disturbance the meal it had before it.  Ichiko had a habit of sticking her nose into matters that did not belong to her, and her cousin saw the features of her disapproval slipping on her face, as she placed her box of food to one side of her.

With the school grounds considerably more quiet after the initial exchange-- with everyone's eyes on the interaction, the voices can be heard much more clearly by everyone near by.

The large Owl Clan boy, no doubt in his last or second to last year, grabs the fallen scrawny Mantis Clan boy with both hands, dragging him back up to shaky feet, before screaming in the other boy's face in a threatening manner, "Stop lying!!" he boomed in a ferocious voice, "Admit what you did and maybe the magistrates will have mercy on you!!"

The other two boys, the one that was clearly another Owl Clan and another who based on clothing was a Crab Clan boy stood firmly behind the lead boy, very much showing signs of solidarity.

Hiruto approached the scene slowly, not timidly per say, but obviously unsure about just what was going on. He looked around as he drifted, almost as if expecting some kind of intercession.

His eyes flicked over the faces of those involved, and while he did not flinch at the barking voice of the older boy, he did not seem especially bold himself.

A glance over his shoulder checked for any that might have followed him...

Shino smirked when she heard the lead voice. The hothead, Hantei Ichiro. She remembered hearing of him when she joined the Detective Club, the bossy brat that tried to order even the seniors around and threw a fit when they wouldn't listen.
The dumb muscle-headed Crab, Hida Niro, was not really worth remembering in her opinion. He was a force to be accounted for in Ichiro's collection, but he wasn't an independent player in her eyes.
The other Owl boy, Kasuga Asato, made her grin. The childhood sweetheart of one of the many groupies that she could always rely on to spread a rumor like wildfire. He must've inspired Ichiro into action.

Hantei Ichiro, such a big personality but so easy to manipulate. She crossed her arms smugly, commentating her knowledge of the three bullies to Ichiko and the rest of the Detective Club members in hushed earshot.
She didn't know the Mantis boy, but she never liked the Mantis Clan anyway. They were her father's most frequent enemies: pirates, smugglers, and thieves that masqueraded as a real Clan. Her father stemmed the tide of their contraband mainly because of his control over a main tributary of the river and canal system.

Then Hiruto unsteadily walked forward.
She rolled her eyes, then put a delicate hand on his shoulder, holding him back.

"Don't." she whispered in his ear.

"I thought you didn't want to be gossiped about as the Cucumber Thief. That Mantis boy is not of your family, your Clan, or your friends. Do you plan to go against a Hida for him?"


OOC: Gosh I feel evil now...
Devil on your shoulder Hiruto! :D

Perhaps the seeds of doubt had already been planted before Shino's intervention, or perhaps she had sewn them herself in that moment.

However the doubt had come tone there, Hiruto paused and frowned slightly, obviously conflicted.

He took a deep breath, cast his eyes over the scene before them once more and let it out in a sigh. "You are probably right."He admitted. He almost seemed ready to say more, then held his tongue.

"Thanks" he said instead, turned, and with a last glance over his shoulder returned to what was left of his lunch.

Yuki had remained quiet as she usually was during class observing the actions and words of others. Her response to the query of the first teach given in excellent calligraphy with precise strokes telling of a parchment stained with dirt once thought to be disposed of until she turned it sideways and folding some of the crumbled edges in to form the kanji for life out of the various dirt streaks.

Astrology class always held her attention as she appreciated both the practicality and beauty of it. The star charts held her attention throughout  the entire introduction of the Unicorn student. Only after the teacher began the lesson did she realize the class had started. Her answers were knowledgeable yet simple at the same time.

Her lunch was a simple box of crab and shrimp sushi as most of her lunches were. The chopsticks were stone filed to sharp points at the end. Yuki had just gotten comfortable when the commotion happened. She really didn’t care about the Mantis boy, but instead what the leader was saying. She couldn’t quite hear, so she grabbed her box and chopsticks to walk over to a couple of feet behind the Mantis. She stood there eating her sushi standing up while staring at the rambunctious Owl. No move was made to assist or hinder him. Simply staring at him while she ate with unblinking eyes. She had seen enough bullies before to know their first physical action after yelling at her would be to shove the Mantis into her or knock the box of food out of her hand. In the former, she could easily side step out of the way, and the latter move the box out of the way when they go to strike it.

It seemed as if none of the other children in the courtyard were going to intervene in this assault. However, just as the trio were seemingly about to drag the smaller boy off, a loud booming voice shot out across the school ground.

"JUST WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?!!" the voice, far too deep to by that of a child. In fact, it would be immediately recognizable by most of the students as those same shouts were quite often directed at them when they slacked off during athletics lessons.

Hyobe Goro, the physical education teacher, could not have been more directly the opposite of Hanako Momoko, the geisha-like teacher who was almost as tiny as her own students and dressed like a child, or the wizened Someisa Yui who seemed like everyone's grandmother and always spoke gently.

No-- Hyobe-sensei was a giant of a man in both height and girth, well known to have been a famous wrestler in the years before the birth of any of the current students of the school, though perhaps an older sibling might have been alive during those years. His exterior was always gruff and prickly, although he was known to be slow to let any real anger affect him and quite dedicated to the students.

He stormed across the courtyard as a speed that one simply would not have expected of a man of his girth, and without appearing to be running either-- simply his long stride. "Ichiro!! Put Riku down at once!!"

The lead boy, the large Owl Clan, apparently Ichiro did release the small Mantis boy, apparently named Riku, right away before backing away from the smaller boy. He gave a somewhat unconvincingly sincere bow before immediately bragging, "Hyobe-sensei! I have great news!! I, Hantei Ichiro, have personally rooted out and unmasked the infamous Cucumber Bandit!!"

Riku stumbled away a step or two upon release before looking to Hyobe Goro pleadingly. "I didn't do it! I swear it wasn't me!!" tears already streaking down his face from both the pain he must have felt from this beating, but probably more so the emotional turmoil he had suddenly been thrust into.

Hyobe Goro gave a low grunt before folding his arms and narrowing his eyes. "What is this about a Cucumber Bandit?... Has Reju Tsukitomo been putting stupid thoughts in your heads again?" It seemed that the news of the thefts hadn't reached everyone's ears.

Ichiro seemed a bit surprised at that... or at least he acted surprised, though his acting left quite a lot to be desired. "What?!! Surely you have heard of the Cucumber Bandit, Hyobe-sensei! It's been the talk around town. A child has been sneaking into the market at night and stealing all the cucumbers for the past few weeks."

The teacher's expression didn't change, still seemingly wholly unamused. "What does this have to do with you picking on Riku?"

Riku could only add, "I didn't do it..."

Ichiro grinned like a Chesire cat at the chance to be able to show off his brilliance to a teacher. Jabbing a thumb towards the more lanky Owl boy (in fact, upon closer inspection, wasn't this the same boy who implied Hiruto was behind it this morning?) "Once Asato here told me that Aika said the word is that a Mantis Clan boy was behind it, I simply looked at what each person from the Mantis clan was having for lunch. And I found that Riku here has cucumbers--"

Almost as if they had rehearsed it, the boy in the crab outfit-- a Hida if Shino was correct-- lifted Riku's upturned lunchbox from the ground. The ruined contents of Riku's lunch could then be seen and, aside from rice, he did indeed have a large amount of pickled vegetables including what was unmistakably chopped pickled cucumbers.

Ichiro grinned brilliantly as he declared, "And therefore Riku is the Cucumber Bandit and I have caught him!!"

Hyobe Goro seemed to consider this only briefly before looking to Riku and asking, "Is this true?..." But finding the Mantis boy without the ability to speak anymore for himself, he turned a glance towards Asato and said, "Well-- so get Aika. She's a witness too, right?"

For those with a keen detective mind, Ichiro's deduction here doesn't seem quite right...

(I am going to give each of you a starting clue. But if you think your character would see the other holes in this story, feel free to use those clues too.)

Yuki stood there placid as the whole scene went down quietly munching on her sushi. In the world of adults, generally if accused by someone of higher status then the accused usually issues a challenge for a duel. In the world of children, adults will at least listen to a logical argument. She finished her last roll and swallowed as she stepped forward to pick up a piece of the pickles cucumber with her chopsticks and holds it up for everyone to see. “Excuse me Ichiro-san, but just to clarify something. Did you catch the cucumber thief or the pickled cucumber thief? I am no chef, but I believe that pickling cucumbers would take longer than the couple of weeks it has been since these thefts were happening. It is an easy mistake to make. I’m sure you will certainly catch the real cucumber thief before long. You are a very driven individual after all.”

She turns to the Mantis boy and holds up the pickled vegetable for him to see. “Can you please tell us who pickled this cucumber or where they got it pickled from? If it came from a merchant, they would be able to collaborate your story. Speak up now because a ‘I didn’t do it won’t save you.’”

Shino clicked her tongue irritably. It was a shame to make an enemy out of Ichiro; he would've been so useful manipulated from afar. But Shino couldn't stop herself from getting involved now. She'd told Aika about suspecting the Mantis after all, and she wouldn't let such an obvious bully to ruin it for her.

"Hyobe-sensei, if I may interject, Aika's not really a witness. A lot of us have heard the rumor that the Mantis may be behind the cucumber thief. Some of the girls were gossiping about it before classes.
But Ichiro-san is the only one choosing to challenge a Mantis to a fight over it. Isn't this improper? I thought the magistrates were the ones that would deal with this kind of thing, not us kids." Shino said, with her best 'innocent but worried' look and tone.

She left the implication that Ichiro was a boy stepping into a man's shoes hanging in the air. It was a shame they were children, but if Ichiro had flung around these accusations as a full samurai, he would've been impugning Riku's honor.
Maybe she could still get those two to fight it out.


OOC: I'm trying to deflect attention away from Aika and back onto the fight between Ichiro and Riku as the main issue here.

20:15, Today: Bayushi Shino rolled 14,2 using 3d6,1d12, rerolling max, unique dice with rolls of 5,(6+2)8,1,2.  Courtesy(Air): Deflect Attention.
Keeping
5: Success
6: Explosive Success, Strife
2: Opportunity, Strife
2: Blank

Opportunity (Air)
1+: Act subtly so that a number of characters in the scene equal to opportunity spent do not notice you attempted an action.
(Hyobe-sensei)(I wanna keep my 'good girl' image with the teachers)

This message was last edited by the player at 00:23, Wed 30 June 2021.

Hiruto looked ashamed as Goro-san intervened. With a backwards glance to Shino, he approached as well and straightened his kimono, or perhaps obscured some of his bull, before he spoke.

When he did speak however, it was with surprising confidence. Goro-san being his favorite instructor.

"Pardon my intrusion." He began. "But I also do not believe this boy is the one who has stolen the cucumbers." he gestured to the Mantis suspect.

"All the descriptions I have heard have included a large round boy, some have even looked at me strangely because I am that shape as well. But he is obviously too thin to match the real thief." he shrugged. "I mean no offense." He added to the boy offhand.

Hyobe-sensei listened to all the explanations of the rebuttals, though his stern and thoughtful expression made it a bit difficult to discern precisely which side he was leaning towards once the ideas had been presented.

Riku only offered the soft rebuttal of "My grandmother made them..." as he did seemed cornered on the explanation as to where the vegetables came from.

Ichiro waved a hand dismissively, "Cucumbers are cucumbers. If he is Mantis and has cucumbers, he must be the culprit." Though his words suggested bravedo in the face of such opposition, there were some micro-expressions of nervousness and his tone wavered just a little as though Yuki pointing out what she did give him some second thoughts about his conclusions, but perhaps his pride wouldn't allow him to back down so easily.

The, shooting a look to Shino he added, "And you know as well as I that the magistrates have their hands full with crimes by and to samurai! They aren't going to interfere in a matter between merchants and children." Though it certainly seemed as though his goal was less about getting justice so much as seizing on an opportunity to gain some fame and recognition for resolving the matter.

The more lanky Owl boy did interject here as he was now eyeing Hiruto. "But they are right in one thing, Ichiro," he stated suspiciously, "The only eye witness said the culprit was as short as a child, but larger than a normal child."

To this, Ichiro did have an answer though, "Certainly! But if he were wearing a large coat or a large bag to carry vegetables, maybe he just looked large!" Still, his own allies starting to lack conviction clearly made Ichiro uneasy.

Hyobe-sensei shook his head after considering all this. "I have no idea what you are all going on about. I didn't hear anything about all the city's cucumbers being stolen. I am tempted to resolve this with a sumo match." That almost certainly wouldn't go well for Riku. Ichiro's clearly flawed deduction being declared right simply by beating up a boy half his size would hardly seem fair.

But it did seem as though Ichiro might already be on the verge of withdrawing his accusation if just a couple more holes could be poked in his case.

Yuki considered what little evidence there was and how deciding things by sumai wouldn’t go very well for the young mantis boy. She then decided that she needed to sow more seeds of doubt in Ichiro. “Tell me this Ichiro-san. Are you accusing a member of a Great Clan for stealing for when they are known to have enough wealth to provide their own with what supplies they need? Would it not make more sense that a lord less ronin without the resources of a patron would be desperate enough to steal food? This has been going on for weeks which seems more like desperation than getting a thrill out of stealing for its own sake. Also consider this, do you know what influence his family has? Even if he is Mantis, they still have acquired enough influence to rise up to Great Clan status. Even if you are right, you have no idea what wasp nest you are kicking by trying to have him officially arrested. He says that his grandmother made the pickled cucumbers. Do you know who she is or what his family is capable of? Have you considered all the possible consequences of your actions? Also think about what if you are wrong, and his grandmother can prove his innocence. Wouldn’t that label you a fool in the eyes of the magistrates are taint their view of your judgement in the future should you call on them again? Anyone who wants to rise up in station needs to have the credibility and confidence of his peers to hold future positions.”

Shino sighed at Hiruto's response. Why did she even bother? The suspicion would probably land back on his plump honest head again after that admission. She could only lead a horse to water...

Shino raised an eyebrow at Yuki's continued arguments. Shino herself had been rather satisfied with getting a sumo match between the two. Now Yuki was revealing all the holes in Ichiro's arguments and weaknesses in his position that Shino would've preferred to go unsaid. Ichiro would be shamed to be sure, but he would seek revenge now, and he would lose some of his effectiveness as a manipulatable pawn. Shino had no interest in the gratitude of a random Mantis boy that didn't even have enough friends or guts to defend himself properly.

Still, she would stick by her fellow Scorpion's decision. She wouldn't allow the perception of dissention within their ranks. Perhaps there may still be a way to manipulate Ichiro afterwards.

"What do you mean? The magistrates are charged with protecting the civilians. Even if a child may have committed the crime, it is against the civilian merchants. Are you saying the magistrates can't do their jobs properly? Oooh, Ichiro-san, you're being so bold today. Insulting both the Mantis Clan and the magistrates of the city in one go?" Shino looked appalled and concerned, then broke into giggles.