(D0, LE) Tea to Go

[Kakita Yuji]

It was the most time free Yuji had had in quite some time. Training at the academy was always an intense regimen, but one did not run one's troops ragged with marching on the eve of a battle, so too did the students have some time to relax before the topaz tournament officially began. The feast of heroes had been wonderful, but some tea and some musing upon the goban seemed a pleasant way to unwind after the more high energy feast.

And so he sat with an aromatic white tea, and a go board that he played around with one of the puzzles his father had sent to him.

[Shiba Haru]

Shiba Haru was bouncing lightly as he entered the House of Red Lotus before offering a bow. He was on a natural high, his spirits buoyed by his surroundings and wished to try something new. Ordering a bottle of sake and some Iron Mountain tea he looked around for somewhere to sit when he spotted the young Kakita and bowed after he approached.

"Good evening Kakita-san I am Shiba Haru a Topaz competitor, I believe I saw you at the feast this evening, may I join you?"

[Kakita Yuji]

Shiba Haru was bouncing lightly as he entered the House of Red Lotus before offering a bow. He was on a natural high, his spirits buoyed by his surroundings and wished to try something new. Ordering a bottle of sake and some Iron Mountain tea he looked around for somewhere to sit when he spotted the young Kakita and bowed after he approached.

"Good evening Kakita-san I am Shiba Haru a Topaz competitor, I believe I saw you at the feast this evening, may I join you?"

Yuji rose and bowed at the new Phoenix. Well, new to him at least.

"Ah yes, I was dining with a couple of your clanmates. It is good to meet even more of the Crane's oldest allies. I am Kakita Yuji, please join me." he offered.

"I trust that you found the feast pleasant?"

[Shiba Haru]

"Thank you."

Haru took the offered seat and sat his bottles down on the low table.

"I did indeed, it has been wonderful to meet so many new people from clans I have never had the opportunity to interact with before as it is an honor to meet you. I have been waiting my whole life to get to see the lands of or greatest allies and it has not disappointed me, especially the dojo. I hope we cousins and I are able to make an equally pleasant impression upon you. May I offer you some tea or sake?"

[Kakita Yuji]

"Thank you."

Haru took the offered seat and sat his bottles down on the low table.

"I did indeed, it has been wonderful to meet so many new people from clans I have never had the opportunity to interact with before as it is an honor to meet you. I have been waiting my whole life to get to see the lands of or greatest allies and it has not disappointed me, especially the dojo. I hope we cousins and I are able to make an equally pleasant impression upon you. May I offer you some tea or sake?"

It was a trifle not even worth mentioning. Yuji set his cup aside for the servants to clear away.

"Of course, Shiba-san, I would be most pleased to share in a drink with you." he offered considering that the Shiba had brought two drinks to the table.

"Whichever you would prefer Shiba-san. A night such as this, sake is a fine choice to celebrate our imminent future, but tea is also a worthy drink. The fuel of many a long conversation." he said deferring the choice of which beverage to the Phoenix.

He hadn't been drinking sake because he had been alone, but truly he was fine with either.

[Shiba Haru]

Haru sat the cup he had brought down before the Crane to replace his discarded one and took his well worn personal cup out of his sleeve before sheepishly reaching for the sake bottle.

"I would very much like to have a long conversation with you and we can certainly switch to tea but I hope you will join me in my first taste of sake." He poured the Kakita a drink. "I seem to have interrupted your game, was someone else sitting here or are you playing yourself?"

[Kakita Yuji]

Haru sat the cup he had brought down before the Crane to replace his discarded one and took his well worn personal cup out of his sleeve before sheepishly reaching for the sake bottle.

"I would very much like to have a long conversation with you and we can certainly switch to tea but I hope you will join me in my first taste of sake." He poured the Kakita a drink. "I seem to have interrupted your game, was someone else sitting here or are you playing yourself?"

Yuji shook his head.

"Simply going over a go puzzle. When my father is unavailable for a match, there are whole books of puzzles that I might continue to sharpen my mind at the game." he explained.

"Sake it is then. I hope that it lives up to your expectations. Perhaps later we might try visiting the Poisoned Water Sake house. A grim name, to be sure, but no visit to Tsuma is complete without one of their little black clay jars. A small memento to take with you when your time at Tsuma must come to a close.

He gestures to the board.

"Do you play?"

[Shiba Haru]

"Indeed I do and quite poorly I might add. My study of tactics tends to the practical, my brother Jiro on the other hand is a studied player; we often play each other and he never fails to beat me."

[Kakita Yuji]

A small shrug from the Crane.

"Well, perhaps we can change that. When one always faces the same opponent, certain expectations start to become habits which in turn become patterns But if you take on new challenges, you might discover a way to break out of such a pattern."

He clears the stones from the board.

"And at worse, you spend some time in pleasant conversation while you enjoy a drink and a game."

He passes the black stones to the Phoenix.

"A one stone handicap to start I think." he suggests, not wanting to insult his guest by offering too great an initial handicap.

[Shiba Haru]

He took the offered stone.

"That is exactly what has me so excited about this place. I have long wanted to experience the ways and styles of the other clans and to do so at the home of dueling..."

He reached into his kimono and pulled out a very old but well kept copy of "The Sword" placing it in his lap.

"This has been a long time in the making for me." he said with a wide smile on his face.

[Kakita Yuji]

He took the offered stone.

"That is exactly what has me so excited about this place. I have long wanted to experience the ways and styles of the other clans and to do so at the home of dueling..."

He reached into his kimono and pulled out a very old but well kept copy of "The Sword" placing it in his lap.

"This has been a long time in the making for me." he said with a wide smile on his face.

Yuji, on the other hand, took the offered bottle to pour the sake.

"Excellent Shiba-san. Yours is the fire that will illuminate a generation, of that I have no doubt"

He fills the cups, but has a question to ask before the serious question to ask before the serious business of drinking and go begin in earnest.

"Would you consent to loaning me a spark or two of that fire, Shiba-san? I am assembling a final project of sorts to herald the end of my Academy days. I am attempting to gather two poems from each of the competitors in the tournament. One with their initial impressions of Tsuma and the tournament, and one of their final impressions. A compilation of a generation making the transition from childhood to adulthood. I would be honored if you would contribute to such a work, Shiba-san." he poses.

[Shiba Haru]

"That sounds like a wonderful idea Kakita-san and I am honored that you would ask me, I think you would find a better result if you sought out my brother Jiro however; he is the artist I am just a sword."

[Kakita Yuji]

"That sounds like a wonderful idea Kakita-san and I am honored that you would ask me, I think you would find a better result if you sought out my brother Jiro however; he is the artist I am just a sword."

JYuji shakes his head.

"Your brother may be many things, Shiba-san, but he is not you. Every competitor in Tsuma for the tournament is here because they represent the fine3st samurai of this generation. Each possess a unique voice that deserves to be remembered."

He gestures towards the go board.

"A single stone may complete the game, but you cannot play go with one stone, no matter how perfect, Shiba-san."

[Shiba Haru]

Haru placed his stone, a standard opening that showed his lack of mastery but one made with confidence.

"I am certainly keen to participate, would you prefer it in writing or should i compose something while we play so you can have my immediate thoughts on this place?"

The stone placed he finally reached for his cup of sake, unlike the game of Go this seemed to unsettle him slightly but after a moment to consider it he raised the cup in salute to the Crane. "Kampai." He took the drink down whole and to his credit did not wince or shudder after he swallowed. "Smoother than I expected but I'm not sure about the aftertaste."

[Kakita Yuji]

Haru placed his stone, a standard opening that showed his lack of mastery but one made with confidence.

"I am certainly keen to participate, would you prefer it in writing or should i compose something while we play so you can have my immediate thoughts on this place?"

The stone placed he finally reached for his cup of sake, unlike the game of Go this seemed to unsettle him slightly but after a moment to consider it he raised the cup in salute to the Crane. "Kampai." He took the drink down whole and to his credit did not wince or shudder after he swallowed. "Smoother than I expected but I'm not sure about the aftertaste."

Yuji considered the opening play before making his own move.

"Well, if you wish to compose it while we play I would appreciate the freshness of the work certainly. A samurai should be able to compose poetry to capture any given moment, after all. But compelled poetry isn't compelling. If you wish to meditate upon your feelings and send it to me later, that is more than acceptable." he allowed.

He sipped very delicately at his own sake.

"Hmmm, it may not be fair to judge it too harshly. It is but a single cup attempting to meet years of expectations. Others might prove more favorable but then again they will not be your first." he mused.

[Shiba Haru]

Haru studied the still quite empty board then closed his eyes for a moment and spoke.

"Blade and brush gather.
Their futures tumble like dice.
Tomorrow is here."

He opened his eyes and reached for the bottle, refilling both their cups before taking a sip of his.

"Hmm it is easier to sip then shoot which is nice. I figured I should go boldly into my first drink." He said with a smile.

[Kakita Yuji]

Yuji nodded.

"I can understand that Shiba-san. It would be less understandable if you continued to do so after finding it unenjoyable. But bold and adaptable are excellent traits for an aspiring Topaz champion." he offers.

[Shiba Haru]

"I try not to focus on the championship, my goal is simply to pass my gempukku and bring honor to my family and clan. Hopefully I can make some friends and memories along the way but I would not presume to be a challenger for the title of Topaz Champion, the road to this moment has been a long and challenging one for everyone here. You would not be here if the Kakita nd Crane did not think you were among the clans best and the Crane do know a thing or two about training champions." He said smiling as he placed another stone in a highly defensive position.

[Kakita Yuji]

"I try not to focus on the championship, my goal is simply to pass my gempukku and bring honor to my family and clan. Hopefully I can make some friends and memories along the way but I would not presume to be a challenger for the title of Topaz Champion, the road to this moment has been a long and challenging one for everyone here. You would not be here if the Kakita nd Crane did not think you were among the clans best and the Crane do know a thing or two about training champions." He said smiling as he placed another stone in a highly defensive position.

Yuji nodded.

"A thing or two. Although some will never understand that simple truth. For some, win or lose, they will try to make it reflect poorly on the Crane. A Crane victory means that they favored their own, and a Crane loss heralds the weakness of the Crane." he said, placing his own stone.

While Yuji had a strong defense, he wasn't pouring everything into defense. Part of his force was spent poking at Haru's defense to see where he would react to such poking.

[Shiba Haru]

"isn't it funny how other clans have no issue with thinking the worst about the most peaceful clans? How many accusations of treachery and duplicity have been made against the noble Crane over the centuries? How many have whispered about dark practices in the Phoenix lands? Even the Unicorn who's military is on par with the best are called names I will not repeat here because they carry compassion in their hearts rather than being warmongers."