[D5, EE: Spare Room] Session One (Closed)

[Shosuro Hikimasu]

He nodded, spinning the flute in his hand absently. "It's a little lower pitch, but the range isn't bad, really...", he told her. "Though as I said I was tired too, but...well, some people get upset when they lose. Some of us are too over excited when we win. Others just don't show anything at all no matter how it really went."

His dead eyes stared.

"Anyway, here's Toshi on the Mountain", he said. The tune wasn't the simplest, but it was a well known enough tune about a man climbing a mountain, not giving up. As if actually inspired by the song, he didn't stop when he made mistakes. Which there were a few.

"Maybe we could choose a different one, near the end that was really rough...I hope your ears are alright." Despite having an excellent poker face, he was sweating slightly.

D5 EE, practice with Emiko. Perform/Air | TN: 3 | Success: 1 / Opportunity: 0 / Strife: 1

[Usogawa Emiko]

Emiko had said there and listened with a smile on her face throughout. It wasn't perfect, there was quite a few mistakes and the ending was maybe a little off tune, but she still gave a polite clap and bow.

"Thank you for playing Shosuro-sama. It's a tricky tune, the middle part I think you were slightly too quick releasing your fingers, which is why it sounded slightly different. You should hold it for a few more seconds like this."

She brought her flute up, Angling herself so he can see her hands better and replayed that part of the performance again. Repeating a few times so he could see when she released and where she moved her fingers in demonstration. Her flute was slightly higher pitched than his, but she kept the sound down on it.

[Shosuro Hikimasu]

He watched carefully, and he could see clearly the difference in what he'd done and what she was doing. Unfortunately it didn't take long so he spent the rest of the time uncomfortable with the fact that he was staring again. He wiped sweat off his brow with a cloth and bowed when she finished.

"Thank you, I think I can try that. Since we have two different pitches of sound, maybe we can play it together, like an accompaniment."

[Usogawa Emiko]

"Hai! That would be great" Emiko said with a few nods, smiling more at the idea "I love to perform, and duets are always more fun. Although groups of 5 are also really fun. I remember the first time I performed together with my mother and the rest of my class, it was really fun. I also made the least mistakes of all the kids" she looked proud at that.

[Shosuro Hikimasu]

"I trained mostly with my mother and sister with music", he answered, looking down a moment. He became thoughtful, which brought determination. "Before we begin though, since you've mentioned your mother, what is your family like?"

She clearly gets her upbeat attitude from somewhere, that isn't just youth.

[Usogawa Emiko]

"My family."

There was a pause and Emiko looked thoughtful, as she tried to work out what to say.

"Well my mother is a priest, like one of the few in the entire clan, although she married in from the Crane. She can see the future, it's really cool. Well, some of it, and the future is always in flux she says, but she teaches the future generations of the Otter now which is nice. My father says that's where I got my musical talent from! My father is...well, he's really really busy. He has an important position in the clan as well, so he doesn't have lots of time anymore but he's kind, and he looks after everyone. Don't have any other family I think! What's yours like?""

[Shosuro Hikimasu]

Sounds fairly normal, even for her father's position. Mine didn't have the daimyo excuse.

"My parents are fairly distant, honestly", he said. "There's no issues really, just not around much."

He shrugged.

"So as an older brother i spent a lot of time before going to the dojo looking after my sister. I like to think both my parents care what is going on with me here, but it's difficult to say beyond their expectations. They both do their duty well, though. My mother spends a lot of time at Shiro no Shosuro, as she's a cousin to Himetsu-sama. My father head of a much different branch of the family with ties to the Bayushi, mostly through the Crimson legion."

[Usogawa Emiko]

Emiko sipped on her tea while she listened.

"So both of your parents were from the Scorpion and got married? Was it a love match? And a brother, what's having a brother like? Some people tell me having a sibling is awful and others like it. I grew up in an only family, and both of my parents were only children also."

[Shosuro Hikimasu]

He shook his head. "I can't say if it was a love match", he said. "My uncle, my father's brother...he clearly thinks it was, or perhaps something baseer, uh..." he cleared his throat. No need to tell her the story about ass grabbing. "Though to see them interact in the rare instances I have, they seemed more proper than anything else." When asked about siblings he laughed a little. "Having a younger sister is...hmm. Well, it gives me some motivation, I suppose. Being an older brother, you want to try to look good for them so they will be proud, so they'll trust you and do well for themselves. Though I think Kisaki-chan is perhaps even more grown up than me in a lot of ways now."

He looked back to Emiko, trying hard not to let his nerves get the best of him and enjoy the gaze of her big blue eyes.

"Despite how lonely life as a samurai has been at times, I can't imagine being an only child. I think if i didn't have my sister, things would have been much more difficult."

[Usogawa Emiko]

"Your family sounds nice" Emiko said with a smile "I hope that I will be blessed with more than one child, so that neither of my children will be lonely. I suppose I was lucky, surrounded by a small clan I never felt lonely at any point."