(D0 LA) Praying for a Sunny Tommorrow

[Kakita Yuji]

Yuji nods.

"It's important to remember to check one's blows just as one would in a physical sparring match. The point is to demonstrate skill, not destroy one's opponent." he agrees.

[Shiba Jiro]

"Hopefully most people here understand that, but I suppose the competitive spirit might overtake some. There are those that really do not like losing. I don't mind losing to others personally, but losing to myself is the worst. My hope is that my finest creation will end up being my last creation... and that it won't happen until my final days in this world. Constant improvement, always forward movement," he says.

"How about yourself? Any grand dreams or goals for life that you aspire to and you wouldn't mind sharing?"

[Kakita Yuji]

"Hopefully most people here understand that, but I suppose the competitive spirit might overtake some. There are those that really do not like losing. I don't mind losing to others personally, but losing to myself is the worst. My hope is that my finest creation will end up being my last creation... and that it won't happen until my final days in this world. Constant improvement, always forward movement," he says.

"How about yourself? Any grand dreams or goals for life that you aspire to and you wouldn't mind sharing?"

Yuji considered that.

"Hmmm, well Id say something along the lines of serving with honor, marrying well, and so on, but that does seem rather small when talking to someone who is building shrines singlehandedly before even having their swords." he admitted with a small laugh.

"Ah, I would like to help build more ties between my clan and other clans, beyond those that are traditionally our allies. No offense intended, of course, the Phoenix are the finest allies of the Crane. But it does seem that a lot of politics is a rather....limited affair with the Crane, Scorpion, and Imperial families having a great deal of say, and the others very little. Of course, there is a common viewpoint about the Phoenix, Dragon, and Crab all being isolated from the heart of the Empire, both geographically and philosophically, about the Lion and the Unicorn only caring for war, about the minor clans deserving only minor attention....but I think such a viewpoint misses a lot of potential sources of wisdom. Hantei took the counsel of all his brothers and sisters, not just the ones close at hand." he mused.

[Shiba Jiro]

Jiro listened to the words of the Crane, taking them in and considering them.

"Oh, I have had my swords for a while. For us that are not bushi, they can't really keep our most dangerous tools," he said, followed by a chuckle.

"But that is certainly a goal worth pursuing. My brother is much the same, hoping to open connections to other clans. If it were not for the fact that we are already allies the two of you would likely be trying to build a partnership already. But then, perhaps that is not so bad an idea, extending unified hands of friendship?"

[Kakita Yuji]

Yuji considered the Phoenix. He was getting a very strong vibe concerning the Phoenix's opinion of his brother. But it didn't seem like something he could change in the course of a single conversation.

"But what of yourself, Shiba-san? You've said you hope that your last project is your greatest, but what have you planned outside taking over the care of the lands about your shrine?" he asked.

[Shiba Jiro]

"Well, they have kind of been tossed in the air and I am waiting to see where they land. Shortly before leaving to come here I was informed of my pending betrothal. So, figuring that out is my immediate goal, secondary to performing at my best here. Otherwise, I had hoped to eventually become a sensei and opening a branch dojo of my school in my home province."

[Kakita Yuji]

"Well, they have kind of been tossed in the air and I am waiting to see where they land. Shortly before leaving to come here I was informed of my pending betrothal. So, figuring that out is my immediate goal, secondary to performing at my best here. Otherwise, I had hoped to eventually become a sensei and opening a branch dojo of my school in my home province."

:Ah, congratulations on your pending nuptials, Shiba-san. May Benten and Musubi-no-kami alike smile upon your match, Have you gotten any of the details of the arrangement yet? Perhaps gotten an opportunity to meet or exchange letters?" he asked, excited for the Shiba.

[Shiba Jiro]

"I have... barely met her. We just saw each other for the first time, but it was as part of a meeting with all of the Phoenix participants here. So..." he shrugs.

"Although speaking with her at length is on the schedule. I find her interesting, and hope she considers me an agreeable husband. But it's certainly an unprecedented situation, for both of us. But I don't think Benten-no-kami would steer my life wrong," he admits.

[Kakita Yuji]

"I have... barely met her. We just saw each other for the first time, but it was as part of a meeting with all of the Phoenix participants here. So..." he shrugs.

"Although speaking with her at length is on the schedule. I find her interesting, and hope she considers me an agreeable husband. But it's certainly an unprecedented situation, for both of us. But I don't think Benten-no-kami would steer my life wrong," he admits.

Yuji looked surprised.

"She is a competitor in the tournament? That is quite the coincidence, Shiba-san." he admitted. "Although, there is definitely a certain poetry to it, the two intended facing the challenges of the tournament together, learning more about themselves and each other. All for it to come to a head in the final round where they must face off against one another...."

[Shiba Jiro]

"Perhaps we were matched because stars aligned and those stars also led us here. Or perhaps it was because we were both chosen to represent the clan and were seen as a beneficial match. In all honesty, anything I come up with is pure speculation. Hopefully someday when you have your own betrothal it is not as confusing as mine," he says with a smirk.

[Kakita Yuji]

A small shrug.

"It is not something I am overly concerned about. we wed as we are ordered to, and fulfill our duty to our Lord" he admitted.

He glanced back at the shrine.

"But if Benten favors a match, it is more than welcome." he adds.

[Shiba Jiro]

"Well, I certainly wish you well in your eventual match. Benten-no-kami may still favor mine. I have been told by priests that they sense the fortune's touch on me. I simply have been confused by the manner in which I was informed of the betrothal. Very odd set of circumstances is all. One that I will adapt to and figure out."

"But speaking of futures, do you have any inkling of where you'll be going after you have your blades?"

[Kakita Yuji]

There was the briefest chill at the words of the Phoenix felt by Yuji. The briefest confusion about a question asked by two twins at different points in the day. But Yuji quickly brushed it off.

"Ah, assuming I'm not Topaz Champion you mean?" he said with a small grin. "I would expect to serve as a yojimbo to a junior diplomat perhaps. Possibly at Pale Oak Castle if you're not hosting the Imperial Winter court or Nikesake if you are. It would be quite interesting to see the twin shrines. Have you been to them?"

[Shiba Jiro]

"I have. I passed through there several times as I traveled back and forth to Ukabu Mura, where I did my training. It's a beautiful city and the shrines are quite lovely. That would be a wonderful place to serve I think, if you aren't there during war with the Lion. It is usually their first stop into lands to their east."

[Kakita Yuji]

Yuji shakes his head.

"One cannot live their life based upon what others might do. I do not seek conflict with the Lion, but would not yield to them either, should they threaten my clan or my allies." he said, resolved.

A samurai had to be brave, of course, but would such resolve last when he had actually taken a life?

[Shiba Jiro]

"I have no doubt of that. It's more a comment on the fact that it's a beautiful city in most circumstances. Until it ends up draped in Lion colors. It's so much prettier in blue and orange," he says with a smile.

[Kakita Yuji]

Yuji nods.

"Summer does tend to see things turn yellow and brown when Lady Sun is too generous with her blessings, but such changes tend to fade away with the winds of Winter." he said, commenting on Lion war victories tending to get reversed in the winter courts.

[Shiba Jiro]

"Indeed. So, if you grew up here in Tsuma, and have attended the academy here, have you had the chance to visit anywhere else?"

[Kakita Yuji]

Yuji shook his head

"Not personally. I've read of the breathtaking Phoenix mountains, the vast sweep of the Unicorn plains, the storm wracked oceans of the Mantis, but it's not the same as actually experiencing it. Is Shiba-san more wide-travelled?" he asked.

[Shiba Jiro]

"Not particularly. Here in suma, Shiro sano Kakita, and Ukabu Mura, plus the places I passed through to get there like Nikesake. So a bit more than you, but by no means well traveled. I would like to see much more of the empire, but that is in the hands of fate and people with much more power to decide. I would love to visit Crab lands though. To see the other side of the empire, to understand the lives of those so very different from myself. That would be amazing."