D7EA, Strokes on the Tatami (Open)

[Seppun Urusai]

Urusai continues the evolutions, though a small smile curves his lips.

When he returns the iaito to the sheath and his hands to the knot in his obi, he says "I've been drilling like this for a decade. I've probably spent two years altogether, if I gathered up all the time. And that's without eating or sleeping amid them."

The hands move left again.

"Don't forget to breathe. Must breathe. Other way doesn't work so good."

[Funegao no Hirame]

Hirame snorted. "You know, that seems to be advice for a lot of things. I guess it's good advice. Gotta keep breathing."

Slowly, carefully, he reversed the cut, sheathing the blade again. One more moment, pausing to reflect, and then he straightened. "Well! Thank you for showing me, Seppun-sama. It's a new way to practice, and even if it doesn't make a difference in the upcoming tests, at least it will help me to be a better samurai.

Then, smiling, his eyebrows went up. "Shall we try it fast, then?" His eyes glinted; clearly, even if Hirame could manage patience, he really preferred excitement.

[Seppun Urusai]

"With the way the tests are going," Urusai says, "I wouldn't be surprised if something like this doesn't show up on them.

"But as to practicing at speed, you'll need to work on your grip. Right now, your hand is like, well, a rope carrying too much of a load. Yank on it, and it'll snap. Work on spreading the weight of the sword in your hand, not just gripping with the thumb and the forefinger.

"I speak from experience," he continues. "Kanze-sempai never did it to me, but Sensei did. I asked, once, as you did to go fast. Sensei told me to come ahead, and so I did, launching straight at him. His bokken snapped out, caught mine, and because all of my grip was where yours is now, up at the forefinger, it pivoted, and I popped myself in the mouth with the handle of my own bokken. Took a week for my lips to heal."

[Funegao no Hirame]

"Huh." Hirame frowned down at his hand. "Well, that makes sense. That's the sort of lesson you remember."

He slowly drew the sword again, holding it up, circling it in his hand almost experimentally. "Who is Kanze-sempai, then, if not your Sensei?"

[Seppun Urusai]

"Seppun Kanze," Urusai replies, working through his form. "My sempai. Currently among the mokoroku in Miharu-ryu. He more directly oversaw my training, along with some others; he was being groomed for command in the Home Legion, even then."

[Funegao no Hirame]

"I see. Very impressive." Hirame said, smiling and inclining his head. "Is that what you're destined for, after all this? A position in the Home Legion? Command, eventually?"

He continued to practice as he spoke; conversation seemed to be helping him think less about the motions of his body.

[Seppun Urusai]

"Probably not the Home Legion, no," Urusai replies, continuing his own evolutions. "One of the Imperial Legions, most like. I'm hoping it will be either the Seventh or the Nineteenth, but that is not mine to determine.

"And for command, well, after some of these tests, that might be more available.

"But what of you? What do you expect after all this?"

[Funegao no Hirame]

"Good." Hirame said, nodding. "The Topaz is quite an honor. If you're here, it means your family must think quite highly of you. And in the Mantis, that means eventual ship captain!"

But the follow up question brought Hirame up short. He was silent for another few moments, completing another slow draw and strike before speaking again. "I had an offer from my captain. A position on his ship. Second officer for one of the shifts. Command track."

He lowered his sword to his side, shaking his head. "But I think my fate lies in a different direction. Exactly what that is remains to be seen."

[Seppun Urusai]

Urusai continues his exercises.

"How does naval ranking work?" he asks. "The Seppun don't do much at sea, as I think I showed some days back."

[Funegao no Hirame]

Smiling again, Hirame sheathed his sword. "Well, every ship has its captain, of course. And below the captain is their first mate. And then the third in command. That part is all very straightforward."

He tilted his head, concentrating. "However, a Mantis ship never really stops while it's at sea. So you need someone to be in charge while the captain and first mate sleep. So they're important officers, too. And exactly who is in charge can vary, depending on which shift is active."

He tilted his head the other way. "I think land armies have something similar, with a night watch. But I think it's a bit more active, with enough sailors to crew the ship on duty."

[Seppun Urusai]

Urusai continues his exercise as he replies.

"It depends on the size of the unit. For a guntai, there will be a gunso and a nikutai commanding, the latter of whom helps the former and takes command if the gunso falls. Kaisha are composed of guntai and are commanded by chui, usually with a small command staff to assist. Daibutai are composed of kaisha and are commanded by taisa, with additional command staff. They are grouped as needed and commanded by shireikan, with rikugunshokan over all under daimyo and Champions, as the Clan or Family need.

"How many usually crew a ship?"

[Funegao no Hirame]

"Varies by ship." Hirame said. "For any ship worth talking about, the least is about a dozen. But the largest is ten times that number."

He smiled. "The Funegao is in the middle of that, five-dozen at full capacity. Not the biggest, but respectable. And fast! That's important, you know. We're always trying to make ships more efficient, carrying more while staying as fast as possible. It's a challenge, obviously."

[Seppun Urusai]

"I can imagine," Urusai replies, even if it's a stretch. But sincerity itself is bullshit, as one scholar from the prince's town puts it, and politeness demands sincerity, so it's an acceptable stretch.

So is that in his arms as he continues his motions.

"What do you do, though? Again, I know little of seacraft."

[Funegao no Hirame]

Hirame paused. "You mean, like, on a ship? Or what the ship does?"

After a moment, he shrugged. "Well, at the Funegao's size, she's a light trader, or a heavy escort. So we can sail our route quick and easy, depending on the time of year and the cargo. Or sometimes we'll team up with a heavy trader; they like having a fast escort to keep trouble off their aft, and we get a little cut. Plus, y'know, Mantis gotta look out for each other."

He went on. "Once we've hit mainland Rokugan, we usually do a quick trip up or down the coast before heading back. Gotta let the season turn a bit before the winds are right for heading back. Gather up some cargo for the return trip, and then a bit of shoreleave back on the Isles."

He smiled. "As for what a person does on a ship, well, you got a taste of it the other day. I think a lot of people don't realize just how much discipline it takes. If you show me a rope, I'm gonna coil it, that's just how it works now."

[Seppun Urusai]

Urusai reaches the end of a set and nods.

"Most ventures reward discipline," he says. "And, having had a sample, I do not deny the difficulties of shipboard life. I'll be happy to stand a post after.

"But thank you for the information." He gives a short bow.