Following the event and a small, small lunch, Urusai bows himself into one of the many practice areas, takes up a bokken, and begins suburi.

Furious, furious suburi.

Sat on the ground at a safe distance, Kaoru was alternating between observing the people training, checking a document for references, and taking notes.

Her attention eventually focused on the Seppun, that she approached with the appropriate courtesy.

"Seppun-sama. How does the day find you?

This one, Shosuro Kaoru, is intrigued by your current exercise that I don't happen to recognize. Could you tell me more about it?"

Urusai notices the approach, of course, and turns, the bokken pivoting into a carry position, and bows.

"Daughter of the Scorpion, it finds me, well," and he grins, "it finds me in need of practice, clearly!

"But as to the question, the exercise is nothing more than simple suburi. Repeated single swings to practice form and technique. I've...allowed myself some distraction from the regular practice, and I felt the need to address that issue, is all."

A bead of sweat rolls down his nose, drops off. It's been several dozen swings, already, and that just the shomen; yokomen, at least, remains.

"A variant focused on muscle strengthening then? I'm more used to the traditional Kakita/Mirumoto style, where flexibility takes priority over force.

But admittedly, as not a bushi myself, I've only mastered as far as the basics of sword fighting."

"Sharp as the blade may be, it takes strength to wield it," Urusai replies. "And, in truth, I am trained to use heavier weapons, as well; something of that doubtlessly creeps into the kenjutsu practice.

"But the basics are always worth attention."

He nods at her papers. "As you seem to know."

"Observing experts practicing simple strikes is so formative on how the body moves when it moves right. Muscles, tendons, joints, breath, for the same movement, they just don't act the same way when it's done by a master or a beginner.

While it's something you can feel while training yourself, with your body tiring more quickly when the movement is wrong, an external point of view helps a lot grasping what a difference it makes as a whole."

"What do your observations tell you?" Urusai asks as another bead of sweat slips from his hand to fall upon the planks of the floor.

"I would have to look at you practicing different exercises to get a better idea of your style. For now, I can but speculate on incomplete data.

Your current strikes, if I was to consider them in the context of an actual fight, just don't seem, as you aptly suggested, thought out to be used with a katana, using unnecessary strength to push the blade in the opponent's body when but a caress of razor-sharp metal is enough to disable any human foe.

That, the fact your training includes general body reinforcement, as well as your showing in the Crab trial, suggest that you have make yours the adages the body is a weapon and anything can be a weapon. As in, that you train yourself to be able to defend yourself or others in any circumstance, not just during one-on-one face to face between samurai."

Urusai nods. "One never knows when the call to defend will come, and there are times a sword must be laid aside."

He grins. "Except for the Bodyguard. After all, when a person carries their blade in the presence of the Emperor, they can hardly be asked to set it aside for any lesser person."

He shakes his head. "But I think my path will be otherwise."

"Oh? That's indeed quite unexpected from a Seppun.

Would you happen to be marrying out by any chance? From my understanding, the Topaz is quite the knot of complex marriage arrangements."

"If I am, I've not been informed of it," Urusai replies. "Though you have the right of it; even from what little I have heard discussed openly, it seems there are several here who have been betrothed to one another. And others yet have other arrangements.

"But as for me," he shrugs. "When the Family decides I should have a spouse, I will be assigned one.

"And you, daughter of the Scorpion? Is there a spouse awaiting you after all this is done?"

"Negotiations with the nakodos have been frozen for the duration of the championship. So to speak, they're waiting to see if my performance here changes anything to my 'value' as a spouse.

Since at the moment my showing had been adequate enough for it to remain stable, I would say it's likely things will smoothly restart from when they stopped without much change, and that I'll be married within one year."

Urusai nods. "I wish you joy of it, however it falls out," he says, sincerely.

"Would you care to get some practice in, yourself?" he asks. "Suburi is good, but many things work better with a partner than without."

"We can practice the fundamental 'attack and parry' katas together if you so wish. The difference in our levels is likely too great for something less codified like sparring to be productive."

"As you will," Urusai says, and he steps back to allow the Scorpion space to enter.

Kaoru picked a bokken and assumed the expected defensive stance for such an exercise.

"The classic five strikes, in order, repeat five times, then switch attacker and defender? Cannot do more by the book than that."

Urusai bows, assumes the stance, and begins, moving slowly at first. Her words, her observations, ring in his ears, and he deliberately moves gently.

Kaoru offers back the expected academic parades and deflections, with the dedication and lack of originality of a recitation. Her eyes catch all the tiny mistakes on both sides.

"The Topaz alwayts ends with a iai duel of the most traditional form. If you were to face a Kakita who's trained for years solely in this very style with your own composite style, how would you approach the fight?"

"The Kakita move swiftly," Urusai replies as he sets up for the defensive stance. It is a stronger one for him, as might be expected.

"But the Speed of Heaven--ah, that is another thing entirely. And that, the Seppun do."

"What will happen and what the judges will see is not the same. If your own strike lands a few fractions of an instant before your opponent, but their own strike seemingly flew smoother, an external observer might believe they were the quickest.

The human eye is bad at catching such speed, but the human brain is very good at deluded itself it can.

Courtly duels are an art closer to theater than battle. You're trained for the later. Are you for the former?"