(D7, EA, Library) Blessings and Curses

[Isawa Natsuko]

Natsuko shakes her head. "Not entirely a beginner, but neither was it a first or even fifth focus of my training. Prediction was, admittedly, part of what I hoped to gain from the work. I do not expect to be a particularly competent duelist should I advance so far." The even tone offers nothing of disappointment or self-deprecation, merely stating facts...apparently.

"Has dueling been a focus of yours, alongside acquiring all these bits of knowledge?"

[Shosuro Kaoru]

"Admittedly, in a fight against a more classical duelist, you would have the advantage of roughly knowing what to expect when they'll be contemplating the mysteries of the void in the flesh. That's an edge that might turn into a few surprises here. Even the best duelists in the Topaz championship are still but youth at the dawn of their career, and experience is required to remain unfazed in front of the unexpected.

And not really. I got the martial training that is expected of any samurai of course. We carry razor sharp blades at all time. and are to be able to handle them without unwillingly harming others and oneself. Similarly to my scholar training, this took the form of relentlessly repeating the fundamental moves that are the bases of every advanced technique.

But I didn't go further than that, and am a world away in skills from any samurai that made their focus of the blade."