Day 3 [LE] Pray to the Day Away (Open)

[Suzume Rin]

After drying and making herself presentable, wasn't right to go to a temple looking like something the dogs dragged in, Rin makes her way to the temple of Amaterasu.

This late in the day it was relatively empty, although the frightful weather probably helped. Still, hail outside meant cozy inside in her estimation and the Sparrows performs her rites to Amaterasu (who she reckoned was sleeping, but hopefully she'd like the incense when she woke) before making her way to Ebisu's altar and settling down before it.

"Ummm...just wanted to thank you for your help today. Lot of people came to work at that nice monk's shrine and I reckon I could feel 'em being inspired by it. In fact given the weather, it's wonderful they came at all. So, thank you again Ebisu-no-fortune."

Rin then launches into quite a long prayer from memory, asking the fortune to help and aid her family back home.

[Kitsu Masaru]

Masaru isn't particularly Pious but he also had nothing against the fortunes or temples. The young Lion had been to the lesser temple a few times already and figured it was a good time to check out the main one.

The Kitsu boy was wearing a simpler hardier kimono than usual for him but one that had been better for working around the other temple earlier.

Masaru went to a few of the shrines and bowed and offered short prayers to a few fortunes. As he reached Ebisu he noticed the Sparrow making her own offering and he maintained a respectful distance not to interrupt her offering.

[Suzume Rin]

Masaru isn't particularly Pious but he also had nothing against the fortunes or temples. The young Lion had been to the lesser temple a few times already and figured it was a good time to check out the main one.

The Kitsu boy was wearing a simpler hardier kimono than usual for him but one that had been better for working around the other temple earlier.

Masaru went to a few of the shrines and bowed and offered short prayers to a few fortunes. As he reached Ebisu he noticed the Sparrow making her own offering and he maintained a respectful distance not to interrupt her offering.

"-And please help Goro-kun. He's only little and he works too hard."
Feeling a little unburdened Rin claps twice and bows respectfully before standing up with a wince. Looks like working these fields was as hard as back home. She turns and spots Masaru.

"Oh Kitsu-sama, I'm sorry. Hope I wasn't in the way. I'm very slow at temples, gotta a lot of names I need to recite."
Rin bows respectfully.

[Kitsu Masaru]

"-And please help Goro-kun. He's only little and he works too hard."
Feeling a little unburdened Rin claps twice and bows respectfully before standing up with a wince. Looks like working these fields was as hard as back home. She turns and spots Masaru.

"Oh Kitsu-sama, I'm sorry. Hope I wasn't in the way. I'm very slow at temples, gotta a lot of names I need to recite."
Rin bows respectfully.

Masaru smiled and shook his head "Oh no not at all Suzume-san, it's great to see someone caring for such a large family." He said closing his eyes and tilting his head to the side as he smiled at her.

He took a step or two closer to be within a more conversational distance and bowed "I am Kitsu Masaru, forgive me if I forgot but I don't believe we have properly met."

[Suzume Rin]

Masaru smiled and shook his head "Oh no not at all Suzume-san, it's great to see someone caring for such a large family." He said closing his eyes and tilting his head to the side as he smiled at her.

He took a step or two closer to be within a more conversational distance and bowed "I am Kitsu Masaru, forgive me if I forgot but I don't believe we have properly met."

"Oh no...well, not unless I've forgotten too. Well met Kitsu-sama, I hope the fortunes have smiled on you today. I am Rin of the Suzume, the one with the large family."

She bobs her head again.
"I've seen you at the events though. And obviously I know of the famous Kitsu family, although I've never had the honour of meeting one of y'all before."

[Kitsu Masaru]

Masaru chuckled and nodded "Well met Rin of the Suzume, I believe you are the first of the Suzume clan that I have met as well." He paused and looked at her a moment "you make a good first impression." He said with a slight grin to his lips.

"And also thank you for your kind words about my family though we do not strive for fame we are glad our work leads to glory for the Lion."

[Suzume Rin]

Masaru chuckled and nodded "Well met Rin of the Suzume, I believe you are the first of the Suzume clan that I have met as well." He paused and looked at her a moment "you make a good first impression." He said with a slight grin to his lips.

"And also thank you for your kind words about my family though we do not strive for fame we are glad our work leads to glory for the Lion."

Rin's nose pinkens

"You're real nice to say that Kitsu-sama."
Rin rubs the back of her neck.
"Umm, I think that's the best way to earn fame, going about doing good work. If you set out to seek the fame then the work is sorta meaningless, since you're only doing it for the glory. Not that the Sparrow are very famous, so we probably don't know much about it."

Looking around at the temple
"Did you come to pray? I mean, uh you probably did. But was there a specific fortune you were seeking? I usually do the rounds of all of them but Ebisu is the one I pray to the most."
Hurriedly
"Not that one is better than the others just, you know, lotsa work to do and that's what Ebisu does."

[Kitsu Masaru]

Masaru shook his head slowly "no need for that formality Suzume-san, Kitsu-san is just fine."

Then he nodded "no I think you have the right of it, if someone does things only for Glory then there is no honor in it and if there Is no honor then there is little meaning. From what I know of the Sparrow they aren't very famous but they are hard workers and while some of what you do might be looked down on I think your attitude of hard work and family is very honorable."

He looked about the temple and nodded "I usually pay tribute to Benten to return their favor as many have told me I was blessed by them. I also make some offerings to Fukurokujin, Jurojin, and the Lady Sun herself. Wisdom and longevity are important to me and it seems important to thank the Lady Sun." He replied with a smile

"One may not be more important than another but some certainly effects one's life more than another. A Lion soldier has much more reason to pray to Bishamon than Benten and a farmer Ebisu more than either of them but all the fortunes can help anyone." He agreed

[Suzume Rin]

Snip

"Right, Kitsu-san. Gosh, everyone is so friendly here, even to someone like me. The other Lion I met, Ikoma Aya-sama, the one with the fire in her eyes? She was also very kind. Even if she did give me a good walloping."

Absent mindedly rubbing her side
"You're favoured by Benten? Well that makes sense - Uh, I mean, you know, you have a favoured look about yah....but in a good way, like you're blessed not that people have done you favours. Um, more like that."

Hurrying along

"Benten, Fukurokujin and Jurojin...are you training to be a courtier then Kitsu-san?"

[Kitsu Masaru]

-snip-

Masaru laughed a bit at that "Yes Aya-san does seem to have a really intense aura around her. I hope she didn't hurt you too much though, bushi training is violent but nothing too serious should get hurt I'd think." He said with a bit of the good humor from the laugh but an undertone of warm concern to his words and loom as his eyes darted to her side and back.

"But yes I am being trained as a Courtier of sorts, the bards of the Ikoma are indeed courtiers as well as performers and historians. I assume from getting a walloping" He said the word with an amused unfamiliarity it not sounding quite right coming from his otherwise proper speech "that you are training to be a bushi yes?"

[Suzume Rin]

Masaru laughed a bit at that "Yes Aya-san does seem to have a really intense aura around her. I hope she didn't hurt you too much though, bushi training is violent but nothing too serious should get hurt I'd think." He said with a bit of the good humor from the laugh but an undertone of warm concern to his words and loom as his eyes darted to her side and back.

"But yes I am being trained as a Courtier of sorts, the bards of the Ikoma are indeed courtiers as well as performers and historians. I assume from getting a walloping" He said the word with an amused unfamiliarity it not sounding quite right coming from his otherwise proper speech "that you are training to be a bushi yes?"

"Hmmm? Oh naw, I've had worse after a day in the fields. Just don't have much padding on me so I tend to feel every smack. Good reason to avoid getting whacked in the future."

Rin smiles, wincing slightly

"Oh everyone knows the Ikoma, they tell the best stories! Not many storytellers get stories about the telling, except for that family. One bard could read out his servant's shopping list and bring a thousand soldiers to tears...or so they say, I think he'd have to be reading real loud...or buying something real strange."

Nodding at his question
"You've the right of it, a simple bushi's life for me. Probably would make a poor courtier like yourself. And if I try to paint or write anything my family always tells me it's 'really interesting' or 'deeply symbolic', so I know it's no good."

[Kitsu Masaru]

Masaru let out a slightly restrained laugh "Ah well you speak almost like an Ikoma yourself Suzume-san. I am sure my sensei and fellow students would love to hear their school talked of in such a way." He said with a little chuckle at the end "I myself am not quite so skilled yet but I can tell an entertaining tale and I'm not half bad with a Koto or Shamisen." He finished with a smile

He looked her over again but nodded "Well Bushi life may be simple but it has its own challenges." He gave her a slight bow "You train hard to protect others like myself so I appreciate it Suzume-san."

"Plus something interesting or symbolic doesn't mean bad. If your art comes from your heart it has its own beauty."

[Suzume Rin]

Masaru let out a slightly restrained laugh "Ah well you speak almost like an Ikoma yourself Suzume-san. I am sure my sensei and fellow students would love to hear their school talked of in such a way." He said with a little chuckle at the end "I myself am not quite so skilled yet but I can tell an entertaining tale and I'm not half bad with a Koto or Shamisen." He finished with a smile

He looked her over again but nodded "Well Bushi life may be simple but it has its own challenges." He gave her a slight bow "You train hard to protect others like myself so I appreciate it Suzume-san."

"Plus something interesting or symbolic doesn't mean bad. If your art comes from your heart it has its own beauty."

Rin looked like Masaru had told her she was almost like one of the fortunes, her nose turning very pink.
"Don't make me start repeating about how everyone is too kind. And I'm sure you're more than half bad, everybody who plays the koto knows what they're doing."

She quickly matches his bow for her own.
"Umm, well, yeah. Sometimes it's nice just to create something from the heart like that. But if it's just all kinds of splotchy and you've got the proportions wrong and the paint ran a little bit...maybe someone else can do a better job translating from the heart."
Looking around

"I'd really like to maybe walk the shrine and ask you all sorts of questions Kitsu-san, but only if you have the time. I know it's late out and some folks prefer being back in their rooms this time of day."

[Kitsu Masaru]

Masaru gave a nod of his head and motioned forward "By all means lead the way Suzume-san, this is my first time at the temple and I would be happy to experience more of it with you."

As the began walking he nodded "Yes imperfection happens and don't let the Kakita hear me say it but I've always found imperfect, even messy art that is made with passion and feeling to be more meaningful than perfect art with nothing but technique behind it."

[Suzume Rin]

Masaru gave a nod of his head and motioned forward "By all means lead the way Suzume-san, this is my first time at the temple and I would be happy to experience more of it with you."

As the began walking he nodded "Yes imperfection happens and don't let the Kakita hear me say it but I've always found imperfect, even messy art that is made with passion and feeling to be more meaningful than perfect art with nothing but technique behind it."

Rin is happy to lead, although she slows things a little by appearing to not want to walk past any shrine without bowing respectfully
"Your secret is safe with me Kitsu-san."
Lowering her voice
"Honestly I think I'd agree with you. If everything is perfect that means everything is the same, right? Since there's only the one perfect."
Looking over at Masaru
"Do you have a favourite piece of art? One you looked at and just saw all the passion behind it?"

[Kitsu Masaru]

Masaru nodded as they walked, he didn't seemed perturbed by the frequent stops and his expression remained on the pleasant side of neutral as the Sparrow prayed. He even joined her a time or two with certain shrines.

"Yes well not exactly the same but you do tend to see the same techniques again and again when people aim for perfection. It also tends to become more about how they do it than what they are doing." He explained as they walked.

He then placed one hand on his chin and thought for a moment "hmm I have seen a painting that I rather enjoyed. It was made by a fellow student at the Ikoma school, it was a painting of a nearby field during sunset. It had a wonderful use of colors and I really felt like I was seeing it as she did, almost through her eyes. But the technique was messy and was called sloppy by our sensei. I disagreed and thought the way the lines wavered and the colors were applied unevenly leant the work more feeling. It was less picturesque but captured more emotion." He explained looking to Rin from time to time.

[Suzume Rin]

Masaru nodded as they walked, he didn't seemed perturbed by the frequent stops and his expression remained on the pleasant side of neutral as the Sparrow prayed. He even joined her a time or two with certain shrines.

"Yes well not exactly the same but you do tend to see the same techniques again and again when people aim for perfection. It also tends to become more about how they do it than what they are doing." He explained as they walked.

He then placed one hand on his chin and thought for a moment "hmm I have seen a painting that I rather enjoyed. It was made by a fellow student at the Ikoma school, it was a painting of a nearby field during sunset. It had a wonderful use of colors and I really felt like I was seeing it as she did, almost through her eyes. But the technique was messy and was called sloppy by our sensei. I disagreed and thought the way the lines wavered and the colors were applied unevenly leant the work more feeling. It was less picturesque but captured more emotion." He explained looking to Rin from time to time.

"Right, 'cause it wasn't about painting a field that looked the most like a field, it was about painting a field that said something. Uh, I mean the painting saying something, talkin' fields are shugenja business and I wouldn't know where to begin."

Pause
"And not to say anything against your sensei, sure if someone like me said that to him I'd get called worse than sloppy! Rightfull so too."
Rin ends up mirroring Masaru with a hand on her chin and her eyes distant.

"Could be interesting if someone painted all of us contestants. If all of us were together you'd get this huge spread of emotions and appearances...need a big canvas though."