Kyuden Shika

The longer the miai went on, the more time he wanted to spend in the forest.

So he was back... albeit in a different area than he'd visited in the morning.


He found a small pond- not one of the manicured things in the gardens, but something... wild. Fed by a small stream.

Perfect.

He walked out onto the surface and had a seat.

He was vaguely aware that samurai were supposed to use geisha houses to unwind, but...

But it doesn't feel right, burdening them with my bullshit just because they have to sit there and listen to it.

And he had plenty of bullshit.

He wasn't sure how the Deer were scoring the miai, but...

It's pretty well been a disaster in terms of the daily presentations of crap.

I droned at Pei Pei about a thoroughly uninteresting family history.

I kicked some fucking ball around for a bit.

I demonstrated that I have absolutely no talent for poetry whatsofuckingever.

I completely failed at Go.

I'm trash as an archer.

I sing like a cat being skinned alive with a spoon.

I demonstrated the ability to comprehensively push around the woman I love.

I blithered at some monk to no apparent purpose.

I couldn't hunt shit in this forest.

Ikebana is shit.

And I just got comprehensively mangled in the duel.

Safe to say, I've performed pretty fucking terribly at just about every task set me here. And I can't really help anyone I want to help. It's all behind me. I feel... fucking useless.

So at least that part feels familiar.

Shiba Useless Raizo. Dumb. Stolid. Strong. Story of my life. Always been the story of my life.

"And if the fucking Deer send my best chance to become something- anything else to another, I am going to devote the rest of my miserable, useless life to making them regret it."


[Water plus meditation to activate kiho | TN: 1 | Success: 2 / Opportunity: 2 / Strife: 2


Using opps to cancel strife on roll. Pursuing Passion, -3 Strife]

Yuzu noticed the skies would clear soon, so he headed into the forest to she the sun setting down and finally getting a glimpse from Lord Moon from atop the canopy.

Noticing a meditative Phoenix, he makes sure his steps are heard, but doesn’t wake the man so abruptly.

This forest had a lot of memories - from his first encounter here to the moment he thought he lost Unsei. It was a whirlwind of emotion within these trees, and sometimes you just needed to clear your head.

Wandering aimlessly, he eventually found his way to a pond - and found Raizo-san meditating. He couldn't reach out to him while he was like this - not just because he was meditating, but because of the water between them. Was there more, perhaps? He couldn't say.

Finding a rock to sit on, Moshumaru himself meditated. Once they had both found themselves, it would be good to talk.

- - - -

D12 LA - Meditation | TN: 2 | Success: 2 / Opportunity: 1 / Strife: 1

to remove 1 strife from the check, success - -2 strife.

Oh! Then a Lion. So this was the place the cool kids went to and Yuzu wasn’t aware. He stops to check if there are others.

Hmmm. The Poet and the Prat.

Raizo cracked an eyelid, then stood up on the surface of the pond.

"Wasn't aware this was such a popular destination...."

Shortly after, Moshumaru's own eyes opened.

"Shiba-san."

He then noticed the Imperial.

"Ah, Seppun-sama!"

He stood from his spot and bowed.

"Minna-sama, has Inari-no-kami treated you well?"

"Better than your kinsman did!"

Raizo was plainly joking.

"Last time I took a hit to the midsection like that I was still in training."

The boy bows to both. First to Lion and to Phoenix. “Good afternoon, minna-san. Inari-kami has treated me kindly. I assume the same for both, considering Shiba-san’s welcomed jest.”

He looks to the lonely island the Phoenix was into and asks, “Did Shiba-san jump there, or is there a bridge?”

"Nope."

He raised one foot, showing the vacant water he stood on.

"There's nothing in the pond but water and fish. And nothing on it but a few leaves. And me."

The Kitsu gave the Imperial a knowing look.

"It's a Kiho of some kind. He explained it to me, but the explanation went straight over my head."