[D4 LM] Working out the Stress

[Kitsu Murato]

Murato knew the reason, and it would become clearer with different exercises. He wasn't trying to get a hole in his chest, but hed done this drill plenty so he was used to it and knew what he could take. The firmer he could stand against his partner, the better hed understand where a spear needed to be when practicing real thrusts with no opponent.

"Those that can speak with the kami, yes. I only speak to other spirits. The family sent me to learn how to be a bureacrat. My friend Taiko taught me to fight. It's all relative. Means I'm no master of anything, but I can do a lot. I feel comfortable anywhere honestly."

"And what's your story Susaki-san?"

[Susaki Tanabe]

Tanabe followed through the motions getting a feel for how far he could move with the weapon and what the ideal range was for him to be at when using the weapon.

"Well I'm a bushi, that much you probably could have guessed. I was born to the Susaki family an grew up on a river working the boats, I ended up training with the Badger at their sumai school. Done a few matches at small courts, yet to be defeated. Came home a couple years ago and won the honor to be the yojimbo for the Clan Champion's daughter and both of us were sent here."

[Kitsu Murato]

He smiles at that. "She is quite an amazing young woman. There are many here, but... I do feel a connection through our enjoyment of music," he admitted freely.

The motions he made became more and more quickly as he became comfortable with the spacing and reach. It would be time to move on soon as he sensed Tanabe becoming more comfortable as well.

[Susaki Tanabe]

Tanabe smiled as their practice picked up pace "Yes Usogawa-sama is a very talented musician and performer." he said between breaths, this eercise worked similar muscles to the exercises he had done a few days prior so it wasnt as bad but still not muscle groups he was used to working in that way. "Have you met many young women? I admit I somehow seem to have only met a couple of new people at all."

[Kitsu Murato]

"A fair number, yes. But I seem to keep having an eye for the wrong ones. Not that they are wrong themselves, but for some reason I am apparently drawn to those that are drawn to others. And find myself wanting to become a nuisance while they seek happiness. But it can't turn out that with every one i imagine. Otherwise it would be clear I've been cursed by Musubi-no-kami."

He smiles at that, and it seems like he might have laughed if he had a bit more breath. But they had been practicing hard for a bit, and Murato was not nearly as robust. So he slows and stops to take a short breather before moving on to the next set of drills.

"Next set will be thrusts for explosive power. Just one moment though."

[Susaki Tanabe]

Tanabe was well conditioned, essentially years of his life were spent doing little but build his body for sumai and for combat. His breath might have been a little heavy but in general it had been a light work out. "Well, probably the smarter thing, to cast a wide net even if a few escape. After all we don't choose who we leave here with, the deer do. Building more favorable relations even if just friendly will give you greater chance to have a happy union." He laughed a little "at this rate unless I get very lucky I'll end up with a relative stranger."

He nodded at the next exercise and did a little stretch while Murato rested "so a bureaucrat by formal training eh? Well someone has to do it I suppose, couldn't be me though. Papers and policies and politics? No thank you, I prefer a battlefield where the enemy is known and the solution is relatively straight forward."

[Kitsu Murato]

"I'm sure you will be just fine," Murato says with a smile. "We've got time. The deer are certainly keeping a close eye and will test a lot of things. They're sure to match us up right. Their ancestors are guiding them and looking out for us," he said with confidence.

He gets ready for the next exercise, standing side by side with Tanabe. "Now, you'll expect the feeling of resistance when your muscles reach a certain point. Don't trust your eyes, trust the expectation in your form. That is where you control the stop, that is where your opponent is. And focus on the speed of the thrusts. You want them to be quick steady strokes. Don't grip too tightly, just be firm. It's a bit different from a slice or a chop. Don't over extend your form."

Murato begins with some thrusts himself. He takes his time between each, but the spear thrusts themselves are anything but slow.

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D4 LM, Agenda vs Susaki Tanabe, Courtesy [Water] | TN: 2 | Success: 2 / Opportunity: 1 / Strife: 0

success, 1 remove 2

[Susaki Tanabe]

Tanabe grins as the Lion talks "Ah there's the Lion in you, well I trust in our hosts we'll enough. They have to have some idea what they are doing. This is, after all, what they specialize in." He said as he watched Murato get into his next stance.

The big Otter watched the thrusts and then mirrored them going fast and hard. His first few had issues, over extension mostly, he was used to all out fighting going for the kill or the win. He did not lack for determination nor prowess but was missing a key component of control.

[Kitsu Murato]

His orange eyes watched Tanabe's form, between practice thrusts of his own. He was definitely a practiced warrior, so this came mostly natural to the Otter. It seemed it was really just more of a question of familiarity with the weapon Murato imagined. The footing and posture were all perfectly natural and skilled examples of how a bushi should carry themselves. More so than his own certainly. He doubted he'd even be able to legitimately compete with the man in a sparring match, but that was how one gets better, facing stronger opponents. So maybe someday...

Again, between breaths and thrusts, "Well, I do try to be at least a bit of an example of what my clan represents, even if there are ideas on which I tend to significantly stray. But at the same time, I hope that those differences and the flexibility in belief that I prefer over many of my more severe cousins makes me more palatable as a potential match for some of the candidates here. My imperial parentage is likely to lead to favoring a match joining the Lion... but if there was someone I wished to be with... if they had concerns... I am not above making requests to the Shika for considerations on matching me out to someone of a lower rank in station. Because station does not mean much compared to the thought of being able to find both love and duty in one person."

[Susaki Tanabe]

Tanabe chuckled a little "Yes you are indeed more friendly than most Lion I have met! And much more of a romantic as well. Most I've met seem they care for little but their Duty or training or war. Well except the Ikoma they are always interesting guests to have on the river."

"If you matched with Usogawa-sama I'd bet she'd want you to join her since she has been training her whole life to take over for her father and lead our clan. Plus in the long run you'd gain much more status as the husband of a clan champion even a Minor clan."