The Sparrow's steps are, once again, much as before - slow, steady and circling around him, sword down as if ready to defend at any time... or exploit an opening if one appeared.
The man's head nodded quickly. "Wakarimashita. A slap will hardly do if no lesson is learnt, that much is true."
Some more circling.
"I cannot help but wonder if what counts as proper in Miai is yet another thing that varies across the Empire, though." Some silence. "Perhaps that would make an interesting question... to the Miya, perhaps, ne?", he adds with a disarming smile.
The young Seppun keeps his chuudan stance for a moment after unsheathing with blade aimed ahead, and then shifts to hasso as the previous day.
He’s ready to strike and an opening occurs, “Tradition dictates that the way of Doji-kami as her lessons of etiquette are followed over all Rokugan. Despite the local nuances, there are norms and decorum that should be left apart or diminished. Also, this is Shiro Shika. The Crane are neighbors.”
The young Seppun keeps his chuudan stance for a moment after unsheathing with blade aimed ahead, and then shifts to hasso as the previous day.
He’s ready to strike and an opening occurs, “Tradition dictates that the way of Doji-kami as her lessons of etiquette are followed over all Rokugan. Despite the local nuances, there are norms and decorum that should be left apart or diminished. Also, this is Shiro Shika. The Crane are neighbors.”
Opening or not, the Suzume keeps a defensive position, focusing on the movements of the Seppun's blade.
He nods as he moves. "Un... neighbours they are. As they are to the Sparrow, the Scorpion and the Crab, ne? With the Shika's fame as matchmakers... I would assume they have some particular nuances of their own?"
A step back.
"But then, you're right that Doji-kami's lessons must be taken seriously. I... assume the one who wronged you must have somehow failed them..."
He looks the boy straight in the eye, for just one moment, before his eyes shift to the moving bokken again. "I assume it's more than just a naming of favourites in the Miai that's behind it, ne?"
OOC:
Wondering here - if this goes towards actual punishment and/or war/ killing, it could trigger an Anxiety for Senseki. If it does not, he'll likely tell a story at some point - but that won't count for Agenda purposes if the Anxiety triggers since we can only have one of those things triggering per slot. Do you think Yuzu would steer the conversation towards actual violence or war or a blood feud or something like that?
Opening or not, the Suzume keeps a defensive position, focusing on the movements of the Seppun's blade.
He nods as he moves. "Un... neighbours they are. As they are to the Sparrow, the Scorpion and the Crab, ne? With the Shika's fame as matchmakers... I would assume they have some particular nuances of their own?"
A step back.
"But then, you're right that Doji-kami's lessons must be taken seriously. I... assume the one who wronged you must have somehow failed them..."
He looks the boy straight in the eye, for just one moment, before his eyes shift to the moving bokken again. "I assume it's more than just a naming of favourites in the Miai that's behind it, ne?"
OOC:
Wondering here - if this goes towards actual punishment and/or war/ killing, it could trigger an Anxiety for Senseki. If it does not, he'll likely tell a story at some point - but that won't count for Agenda purposes if the Anxiety triggers since we can only have one of those things triggering per slot. Do you think Yuzu would steer the conversation towards actual violence or war or a blood feud or something like that?
The young boy issues a high men-uchi with a stomping foward jump and a mighty, "Eeehhhh-i!".
He does stop mid-air as not to actually hit.
After recognition, he moves back to maai distance and nods to confirm Senseki's thoughts, "Hai. It is more than just naming someone. It is about restraining one's emotions in respect to the others. Something that, unfortunately, didn't get as frowned upon as it should have."
--
OOC: Yuzu won the duel, so there's no need for war/killing. Punishment, though, has been passed (in the light of Heavens). It is nothing physical. Although, we should keep in mind the duel happens later D11. The only violence Yuzu might describe is a the duel's strike. The rest would be Rokugani justice.
The young boy issues a high men-uchi with a stomping foward jump and a mighty, "Eeehhhh-i!".
He does stop mid-air as not to actually hit.
After recognition, he moves back to maai distance and nods to confirm Senseki's thoughts, "Hai. It is more than just naming someone. It is about restraining one's emotions in respect to the others. Something that, unfortunately, didn't get as frowned upon as it should have."
--
OOC: Yuzu won the duel, so there's no need for war/killing. Punishment, though, has been passed (in the light of Heavens). It is nothing physical. Although, we should keep in mind the duel happens later D11. The only violence Yuzu might describe is a the duel's strike. The rest would be Rokugani justice.
The Seppun does his best to defend against the boy's mighty strike - in a real fight, he would probably have managed to avoid the brunt of it, but he recognises that the boy found an opening, and, nodding, he takes a step back and focuses on his stance again.
"Un... I understand, Seppun-sama. Restraint is ever important, ne?", he says, perhaps ironically with a smile that, while calm, is less restrained than the previous ones. "But then... I suppose a miai is a place where such restraint is somehow... expected to be less than it would be in, say, a winter court? At least in some circumstances..."
His eyes shift to the area of the Kyuden visible from the walls before focusing on the boy again. "I get the feeling even the architecture here in Kyuden Shika does its part in trying to get the participants in their events, like this one, to feel more at ease - ever so slightly, and of course that is no excuse for being improper. But... some more ease is to be expected, I suppose?"
Another smile as he slowly moves to a jodan stance. "Although again... that might be just an impression from a lowly Sparrow, ne? As my grandmother used to say..."
And he goes on to tell a story, about how the Sparrow learned much of what they did, and they know, by observing - the land, the people, the weather, those who visited, and much more - and reconsidering what they had learned before in view of new things.
OOC:
(Yeah, I was considering this was 'before' the duel. I was more thinking about whether Yuzu would enforce something... harsher, say. But assuming it doesn't, I'll go for an agenda roll, then
The Seppun bows in thanks for the spar and sheathes back his blade. He takes the onigiri mentioned before, issues a prayer, and bites. Before the Sparrow begins dominating the narrative with his never-ending story, he mentions, "I've never been to a miai before. So, I cannot compare. I confess I was expecting for a bit of less frowning around. You know, getting drunk. Late parties. Some duels for silly arguments. What I wasn't expecting, was for many to abandon their respect to the potential results of the miai, and seek out love affairs in such an overt way."
The boy, leans to the tree and listens as the story unfolds.
)