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..."