Otherwise known as stars. Yuji had dep0arted the garden for awhile, and yet with the weather clearing up somewhat, there was a chance to gaze at the stars, and contemplate their place in the universe. Truly, a peaceful evening.

Peaceful, that is, someone opted to serenade the gardens with a particularly lovely and spiritual tune about the joys of a command structure.

"Oh they sent for a convoy to sail to west,
The gallant skippers agreed,
With one thousand sections
In different directions,
Good grief what a... fouled-up stampede!

Bless 'em all! Bless 'em all!
The long and the short and the tall!
Bless all the captains who give us no slack,
They don't give a damn if we ever get back!

We're saying goodbye to them all,
As back to our billets we crawl,
We'll cause a commotion,
That side of the ocean,
So cheer up me lads,
Bless 'em all!"

Yukikaze no Kasumi always liked a good song when she could get it, and would provide one herself if nobody else stepped up, and it had been an intensely weird day for her.

Yukikaze no Kasumi wrote: ↑

Mon Nov 08, 2021 2:49 am

Peaceful, that is, someone opted to serenade the gardens with a particularly lovely and spiritual tune about the joys of a command structure.

"Oh they sent for a convoy to sail to west,
The gallant skippers agreed,
With one thousand sections
In different directions,
Good grief what a... fouled-up stampede!

Bless 'em all! Bless 'em all!
The long and the short and the tall!
Bless all the captains who give us no slack,
They don't give a damn if we ever get back!

We're saying goodbye to them all,
As back to our billets we crawl,
We'll cause a commotion,
That side of the ocean,
So cheer up me lads,
Bless 'em all!"

Yukikaze no Kasumi always liked a good song when she could get it, and would provide one herself if nobody else stepped up, and it had been an intensely weird day for her.

Yuji paused and listened to the music that suddenly filled the garden. It was not unknown for the garden to inspire lovely melodies, especially in the spring. Suffice to say, however, that this song was not of the style one normally associated with the garden. A much slower rhythm usually pervaded the garden, delicate like the blossoming and fall of a flower. This song was the chop and bounce of a ship upon the waves. Definitely not something taught in the Academy. It was a very strange juxtaposition.

Fitting though, when he saw the similar juxtaposition of the Mantis girl in the Crane gardens. And yet the energy she put into her music was as pure as any Crane maiden. He waited for her to finish her song before politely appluading.

"A very lively song, I have not heard it's equal" he said with a bow. "I am Kakita Yuji, I hope this evening finds you well."

Oh crap!

Kasumi pulled up short, remembered to bow, and tried to put together a coherent sentence.

"Yukikaze no Kasumi, of the Mantis. Glad y'liked it, that's the, er... polite version."

Because in the version she'd first learned, it hadn't been "bless" them all.

"These're... nice gardens ya got here."

Yukikaze no Kasumi wrote: ↑

Mon Nov 08, 2021 3:07 am

Oh crap!

Kasumi pulled up short, remembered to bow, and tried to put together a coherent sentence.

"Yukikaze no Kasumi, of the Mantis. Glad y'liked it, that's the, er... polite version."

Because in the version she'd first learned, it hadn't been "bless" them all.

"These're... nice gardens ya got here."

Yuji smiled.

"Mantis-san is too kind. They cannot hold a candle to the Gardens of Doji in Kyuden Doji, but they serve many important purposes still." he admitted. As a student of the academy, I've spent a lot of time here, whether it was studying ikebana, or seeking inspiration for poetry or other arts, or simply discussing the lessons of the day with fellow students. Those days are drawing to a close, of course, but I will carry many fond memories of these gardens with me, and their blooms will be reflected in my future poems."

He took a moment to savor the perfume of the garden.

"Is song Mantis-san's preferred art, or does she practice others? Ikebana or bonsai perhaps?"

The Mantis suddenly seemed a bit... on edge. Shy.

"Well, singin's easier t'do aboard a ship than anythin' too refined, but... I always kinda wanted to dabble in bonsai... never had th' chance, though."

A more talented courtier would have picked up on the Manti's's shift in tone and adjusted their approach. Yuji was more like an overly friendly dog that tended to fixate on art rather than the people behind it.

"Ah, you know, it's tradition for each student of the Academy to tend to a bonsai while they are students here. A very direct parallel about very carefully tended growth. While I could not teach you much, perhaps while you're in Tsuma, you might find the time to learn about about the art."

He smiled a bit.

"Ah speaking of the academy, song and art, I am working on a sort of final project for my time in the academy. I am attempting to gather two poems from each of the competitors in the tournament. Th first reflecting on their initial impressions of Tsuma and the tournament, and the second their final impressions. The transition from childhood to adulthood from the viewpoint of many different members of the most talented upcoming samurai of the generation. Given Mantis-san's obvious lyrical mastery, I trust that such a request would not trouble her very much?"

"Er... what?"

Blink. Blink.

Yuji was not accustomed to not being understood. Well at least by other samurai caste, no one expected servants to understand anything, and he couldn't talk to her like she was a servant. It wasn't even noisy....perhaps the events of the day weighed heavier on her mind than the iightness of her song let known?

"Ahh...poetry, Mantis-san. I was asking if you would be willing to compose two poems, one now and one at the end of the tournament, for a collection of all the competitors." he said, trying to tone down his propensity for wordiness.

[OOC: Somehow missed this all friggin' day! Apologies!]

"Er... never written a poem, Kakita-san. Wouldn't know where to begin..."

Yukikaze no Kasumi wrote: ↑

Tue Nov 09, 2021 12:17 am

[OOC: Somehow missed this all friggin' day! Apologies!]

"Er... never written a poem, Kakita-san. Wouldn't know where to begin..."

"Well, you begin like you do with all art, Mantis-san, with what you want to communicate. Your song had specific emotions and experiences it's writer wished to express, and then they expressed those in both word and melody. Writing a poem is much the same with it's own patterns it is supposed to fit, but otherwise very similar."

He thought for a moment.

"Stars shining brightly,
stretching across space so vast.
Competitors strive."

He smiled.

"Like that, you see?"

"Yeah, but aren't there, well... rules for poetry? I've heard there are rules..."

Yukikaze no Kasumi wrote: ↑

Tue Nov 09, 2021 3:21 am

"Yeah, but aren't there, well... rules for poetry? I've heard there are rules..."

A small shrug.

"And there are rules for songs, are there not? The words are fitted into patterns that work with each other and the melody to express oneself. After all, in your song you sang 'sections' instead of 'pieces' and 'ocean' instead of 'sea', yes? The words mean roughly the same thing, but the rules of songwriting made one choice work and one not," he said.

He stretched a bit.

"Poetry's 'rules' are relatively simple for haiku. Three lines, first one five syllables, second seven, and then five again. Avoid the use of filler words and try to include a seasonal reference in the opening. But really the most important part is the meaning conveyed.

'Cheerful summertime
A common, little frog sings
above the chocolate'

"See, that follows all the 'rules' but it doesn't say anything."

"Five, seven, and five, huh?"

She started counting on her fingers.

"Springtime landfall's weird.
I have no idea what's up.
Poetry is hard."

Yuji smiled.

"I think it captures your sentiments quite well, Mantis-san." he offered as sincere encouragement.


" Have you visited our shores before?" he asked.

Not for any fun reason.

"Never so far inland... actually, might be only the second or third time I've been on the mainland for longer than a day. Shore liberty ain't given out willy-nilly, even when a ship puts in. Most of my time ashore has been back on the Isles."

She cocked her head to the side.

"What's the farthest you've ever gone?"

Yukikaze no Kasumi wrote: ↑

Tue Nov 09, 2021 4:17 am

Not for any fun reason.

"Never so far inland... actually, might be only the second or third time I've been on the mainland for longer than a day. Shore liberty ain't given out willy-nilly, even when a ship puts in. Most of my time ashore has been back on the Isles."

She cocked her head to the side.

"What's the farthest you've ever gone?"

"Tsuma forest." he said, never having been more than a day or so away from Tsuma. "Though I've read about places far away, such as the isles of silk and spice. The authors paint it as a very vibrant place with bright colors and a great deal of energy."

"Well, we keep busy. Not that I actually spend all that much time in port, but it's where I was born and spent my first years."

She chuckled.

"Most of us are born there, actually, since generally speaking, no sane woman would wanna give birth on a kobune at sea..."

Yukikaze no Kasumi wrote: ↑

Tue Nov 09, 2021 2:39 pm

"Well, we keep busy. Not that I actually spend all that much time in port, but it's where I was born and spent my first years."

She chuckled.

"Most of us are born there, actually, since generally speaking, no sane woman would wanna give birth on a kobune at sea..."

It was....an odd choice of topic. But she seemed an odd girl.

"Hmm, I see. When was the first time you were on a boat then, Mantis-san?" he asked.

Kakita Yuji wrote: ↑

Tue Nov 09, 2021 3:12 pm

It was....an odd choice of topic. But she seemed an odd girl.

"Hmm, I see. When was the first time you were on a boat then, Mantis-san?" he asked.

"Oh, day after I was born, Ma had herself rowed out to her ship to have a look-round and brought me 'long. A'course, the first time I was on a boat an' remembered it? Think I was six. Been on 'em more than off 'em ever since. So."

She chuckled.

"Think I might not know th' Isles much better'n you do at this point."