Kyuden Shika

Murato wandered the temple with his furoshiki looking for somewhere out of the way to try and practice his kumihimo. He wanted to do so in a place where the spirit representing bonds might bless his attempts to create small symbolic ropes.

"Here's a good place, Kitsu-san," Aimi calls, currently sitting with her back to the wall of the temple compound, sheltered from the inconstant drizzle by the lee of the wall and a small wooden roof that forms a covered walkway running around the perimeter. She looks... tired, somehow, or perhaps a bit wistful as she looks out at the great cherry tree and the gently falling rain.

"See?" She gestures up at the small roof, indicating the intertwined pairs of ropes hanging from it in humble patterns. There are empty spaces, spots to hang further offerings that are at present empty. "The shrine's all imbalanced at the moment. I think Musubi-no-kami would welcome your efforts to address that."

(How does she know what he's after? Permit a shugenja some secrets.)

He smiled at her, and bowed. "Aimi-san. It is a pleasure to see you again."

"In that case, do you mind if I sit with you while I practice? I could use some inspiration, and you can easily provide that with your presence. You would definitely know better how I might please Musubi-no-kami. I can only guess and hope if I work by myself."

He seems pleased to have run into her.

"Feel free," the shugenja says with a tired laugh, gesturing to a likely spot next to her, "And I should note you'd have better luck speaking to the monks, if you wished to please the patron of this shrine specifically. They'd know the proper rites and rituals, passed down through generations, I just have to... watch."

She shakes her head. "Ah, pay no mind to me. The test earlier took a lot out of me, so I thought to come here to calm my mind."

"It took a lot out of many," Murato replied. "Now they know who can play kemari with their spouses. A very important consideration."

He smiled at that as he moved to sit down, setting up the little braiding stand.

"Hopefully my lack of ability at kicking a ball doesn't reflect too poorly on me, Aimi-san. It would wound me to know you thought less of me for my wanting kemari skills. I promise that I am much better at listening to music and meditation."

He slowly started working on the kumihimo.

"Oh, do not worry, Kitsu-san," Aimi says dryly, "I am sure a lack of physical stamina and manual dexterity is entirely irrelevant to a woman seeking a marriage."

She shakes her head, glancing over at the braids in his hand. "An unusual hobby. The legacy of a sensei, or just something you picked up along the way?"

He chuckled at the comment. "It's an area for improvement, certainly. One that I have been working on in actuality. There's very little opportunity when you spend much of the day looking at reports and requests, but the traveling and time spent practicing the sword will help I imagine." He did seem earnest in his words suggesting self improvement.

"And the kumihimo is another attempt at improving a weakness while finding an artistic but useful outlet. I'm hoping that practice with this will help improve coordination. Are there any particular arts you favor?"

"Travelling does tend to help with fitness, yes, though perhaps more in the vein of stamina than bursts of speed and grace," Aimi nods companionably, before hesitating, "And... ah, well, there are arts I enjoy, and those I have any skill in. Quite the gulf between the two. Most days I work with words and rhythm, on account of how they need nothing but my mouth."

She shakes her head. "Perhaps I shall be lucky enough to find a spouse with an interest in the arts, that I might pursue those fleeting fancies set regretfully aside."

"Such a spouse would be fortunate to have you with them. I have no doubt their art would be greatly inspired and improved with such lovely inspiration at their side. I know I would consider myself fortunate in such a circumstance."

He worked steadily on the threads, not getting them knotted up like the previous day. It would take the reminder of the morning to finish, but he had the simple pattern down and wasn't screwing it up. It would make for a relatively simple but handmade gift. He was using blue and gold colored thread.

----

D3 LM, Design [Fire], simple kumihimo of two colors | TN: 1 | Success: 1 / Opportunity: 1 / Strife: 2

Success, 1 negates 1, 1 gained

"Mm. A little transparent, but not a bad attempt at flattery," Aimi says with a grin. It wasn't really proper, but hey, sometimes a girl just liked to hear people say she was beautiful. "I like to think I'd be more than just inspiration, though. Why, maybe I could find a pretty boy to sit around and be my inspiration instead."

She looks over at Murato and gives him a slow, obvious look up and down. "Hm. How about it, Kitsu-san? Want to be my arm candy and homekeeper?"