(D4, LE) Even the Locals Go to a Tourist Trap Once

[Kakita Yuji]

"But the critical difference is I say 'I could' and you say 'I can't. That's what really matters." he finishes.

"You could. But you're not going to."

Sip.

"Likely true." he conceded. "There are, after all, lots of things I could be learning. From continuing to hone my understanding of the sword to the favorite fruits of the Imperial court. And certainly no one is encouraging me to learn this. I have the Will, but not Motive to pursue this course."

He tilts his head a bit.

"But you have encouragement to pursue poetry, Mantis-san, and the compilation gives you Motive to do so. Why do you lack the Will?"

[Yukikaze no Kasumi]

"Likely true." he conceded. "There are, after all, lots of things I could be learning. From continuing to hone my understanding of the sword to the favorite fruits of the Imperial court. And certainly no one is encouraging me to learn this. I have the Will, but not Motive to pursue this course."

He tilts his head a bit.

"But you have encouragement to pursue poetry, Mantis-san, and the compilation gives you Motive to do so. Why do you lack the Will?"

"'Cause I've already spent enough time at this contest fallin' on my face. An' otherwise f- screwing up. This- all of this- is just..."

She grimaced into her sake.

"S'like looking down into th'water an' seein' a pearl bed.... too far down."

[Kakita Yuji]

"Likely true." he conceded. "There are, after all, lots of things I could be learning. From continuing to hone my understanding of the sword to the favorite fruits of the Imperial court. And certainly no one is encouraging me to learn this. I have the Will, but not Motive to pursue this course."

He tilts his head a bit.

"But you have encouragement to pursue poetry, Mantis-san, and the compilation gives you Motive to do so. Why do you lack the Will?"

"'Cause I've already spent enough time at this contest fallin' on my face. An' otherwise f- screwing up. This- all of this- is just..."

She grimaced into her sake.

"S'like looking down into th'water an' seein' a pearl bed.... too far down."

Ah so it was like that then.

"A poetic turn of phrase, Mantis-san." he can't help but comment. "It probably doesn't help to have a dolphin of a Crane chittering at you about how easy it is to swim."

He set the cup down.

"I understand where you are coming from, Mantis-san, believe me I do. Years spent at the Academy, training among the finest of the Crane in all the traditional arts of the samurai. Chosen to represent them in the most prestigious gempukku ceremony in the whole Empire. And I'm told to sail a boat and build a model."

He shook his head at the absurdity of it all.

"We're all the same, Mantis-san. We're all the best of our class, but only one of us will become the Topaz Champion. We can't change that fact. But we can choose how we deal with both our triumphs and our failures. Do we let ourselves be defined by and held back by our failures, or do we keep fighting? When you miss a target with an arrow do you lament the miss or do you reach into your quiver and keep firing? We may only get one shot in these tests, but in life you should keep shooting, throw the quiver if you have to, do what it takes until you achieve what you're aiming for."

[Yukikaze no Kasumi]

"We're all the same, Mantis-san. We're all the best of our class, but only one of us will become the Topaz Champion. We can't change that fact. But we can choose how we deal with both our triumphs and our failures. Do we let ourselves be defined by and held back by our failures, or do we keep fighting? When you miss a target with an arrow do you lament the miss or do you reach into your quiver and keep firing? We may only get one shot in these tests, but in life you should keep shooting, throw the quiver if you have to, do what it takes until you achieve what you're aiming for."

"There's too damned much to aim for! 'Shoot at two birds, hit neither.'"

She didn't sip her next drink- she knocked the cup back.

"An' when it comes t'some'a them, I'm shootin' blindfolded with a child's bow."

[Kakita Yuji]

"There's too damned much to aim for! 'Shoot at two birds, hit neither.'"

She didn't sip her next drink- she knocked the cup back.

"An' when it comes t'some'a them, I'm shootin' blindfolded with a child's bow."

Yuji nodded.

"The test are extreme, meant to push to the very limit of what is possible. That is the nature of the competition. You can bet that I felt such as confused as Mantis-san in my case when it comes to ship mastery. But I did not come away from the test doubting myself worthiness to be here, nor with a burning hatred of the sea." he offers.

He takes another sip.

"Tell me something interesting about the sailing life, Mantis-san. Something that you know that I don't."

[Yukikaze no Kasumi]

Yuji nodded."Tell me something interesting about the sailing life, Mantis-san. Something that you know that I don't."

"The rigging we use as a ladder- th'ropes goin' down t'the sides of th'deck? We call 'em ratlines. Just 'bout everything ona ship has a special name an'a special meaning. 'Cause clairty c'n mean th'difference b'tween life'n'death."

[Kakita Yuji]

The drink certainly seemed to be hitting the Mantis hard. Yuji was feeling the drink confusing him a bit, but he was of good constitution and wasn't pounding the drink.

"Why do they call them....rattlines?" he asked, somewhat concerned about the answer,

[Yukikaze no Kasumi]

"Why do they call them....rattlines?" he asked, somewhat concerned about the answer,

For her part, Kasumi was a bit concerned at her own sobriety.

"Prob'ly 'cause we climb 'em like rats. Dunno, really. Just what they're called."

[Kakita Yuji]

"Why do they call them....rattlines?" he asked, somewhat concerned about the answer,

For her part, Kasumi was a bit concerned at her own sobriety.

"Prob'ly 'cause we climb 'em like rats. Dunno, really. Just what they're called."

Yuji considered that while continuing his drink.

"Hmm....rats are servants of Daikoku." he muses. "Perhaps it's meant to say that even though the winds may blow and the waves may churn, you have a way to reach good fortune if you just keep climbing regardless."

[Yukikaze no Kasumi]

Yuji considered that while continuing his drink.

"Hmm....rats are servants of Daikoku." he muses. "Perhaps it's meant to say that even though the winds may blow and the waves may churn, you have a way to reach good fortune if you just keep climbing regardless."

"I'd say that in this conversation, you'n I have put more thought into the whys of it than I have in the previous sixteen years of living..."

[Kakita Yuji]

"I'd say that in this conversation, you'n I have put more thought into the whys of it than I have in the previous sixteen years of living..."

Yuji smiled a bit.

"From what I understand, Mantis-san, both teacher and student alike learn. The student receives the teacher's wisdom and the teacher sees what is already known through fresh eyes." he offered.

[Yukikaze no Kasumi]

Yuji smiled a bit.

"From what I understand, Mantis-san, both teacher and student alike learn. The student receives the teacher's wisdom and the teacher sees what is already known through fresh eyes." he offered.

"And what have ya learned?"

[Kakita Yuji]

Yuji smiled a bit.

"From what I understand, Mantis-san, both teacher and student alike learn. The student receives the teacher's wisdom and the teacher sees what is already known through fresh eyes." he offered.

"And what have ya learned?"

"That the ropes along the side of the ship are called ratlines. What have you learned, Mantis-san?" he answered truthfully.

[Yukikaze no Kasumi]

"That the ropes along the side of the ship are called ratlines. What have you learned, Mantis-san?" he answered truthfully.

"Y'know what? I'm not sure."

She knocked her cup back.

"I already knew what th'bottom of a sake cup looked like."

[Kakita Yuji]

"That the ropes along the side of the ship are called ratlines. What have you learned, Mantis-san?" he answered truthfully.

"Y'know what? I'm not sure."

She knocked her cup back.

"I already knew what th'bottom of a sake cup looked like."

Yuji finished his own drink and looked at the bottom of his own cup.

"Different for everyone I suppose." Yuji admitted. "Shinsei would say that it is at it's most useful."

[Yukikaze no Kasumi]

Yuji finished his own drink and looked at the bottom of his own cup.

"Different for everyone I suppose." Yuji admitted. "Shinsei would say that it is at it's most useful."

"I get th'feelin' Shinsei would say a lotta things."

She paused.

"Not that I know much about Shinsei, but there seems t'be a quotation f'rany occasion."

[Kakita Yuji]

"I get th'feelin' Shinsei would say a lotta things."

She paused.

"Not that I know much about Shinsei, but there seems t'be a quotation f'rany occasion."

Yujii nodded.

"True enough Mantis-san. It is, after all, harder to argue with Shinsei than it is the person quoting him." he replied.

[Yukikaze no Kasumi]

Yujii nodded.

"True enough Mantis-san. It is, after all, harder to argue with Shinsei than it is the person quoting him." he replied.

"Dead men tend t'be hard t'persuade."

[Kakita Yuji]

"Dead men tend t'be hard t'persuade."

Yuji smiled.

"Where there's life there's hope." he offered. "Will you be attending the celebration the Crane are holding in two days time?"

[Yukikaze no Kasumi]

Yuji smiled.

"Where there's life there's hope." he offered. "Will you be attending the celebration the Crane are holding in two days time?"

"D'you think it'll be my sorta party?"