D5LM Watching the Soul Train (Open)

[Shiba Jiro]

"Here I was worried I was the only one," Urusai muses, tapping his chin again. "But that I seem to have company's not necessarily a comfort."

"That is truth. I can live with the uncertainty, but I don't wish it on anyone." He chuckled at that.

"Your sensei had no insight on this? I imagine that they were likey consulted. Though mine was not, so I could be totally off the mark."

[Nekoma Seto]

Hirame chuckled. "Well, that's something. Hey, there's still room in the corner if they want to hang out." His lips twisted. "That drawing does sorta look like the sort of place my doll would bury its victims, huh?"

"The . . . what are those circles in the air? Birds? Well whatever they are, they were a nice touch."

He looked down at Exhibit A: Decapitated Bonsai.

"Maybe if I buried this there as well it would grow and cover up everything?"

[Seppun Urusai]

"That is truth. I can live with the uncertainty, but I don't wish it on anyone." He chuckled at that.

"Your sensei had no insight on this? I imagine that they were likey consulted. Though mine was not, so I could be totally off the mark."

"I couldn't say with any certainty," Urusai replies. "If he was, I was not advised of it. Seems to be a running thing, really."

He shrugs.

"Ours is not to question why, though."

[Shiba Jiro]

"I couldn't say with any certainty," Urusai replies. "If he was, I was not advised of it. Seems to be a running thing, really."

He shrugs.

"Ours is not to question why, though."

"Perhaps not to question, but it is in our nature to wonder. After all, it is curiosity that leads to discovery and growth."

He looks at the other competitors, taking note of Nanako. "Seems this event is igniting the spirit of the Crane."

[Seppun Urusai]

"Perhaps not to question, but it is in our nature to wonder. After all, it is curiosity that leads to discovery and growth."

He looks at the other competitors, taking note of Nanako. "Seems this event is igniting the spirit of the Crane."

"Unsurprising," Urusai notes. "Just as it was not a surprise to see the Mantis do well afloat or the Shinjo ahorse."

He sighs.

"It's clear I still have much to learn."

[Funegao no Hirame]

"The . . . what are those circles in the air? Birds? Well whatever they are, they were a nice touch."

He looked down at Exhibit A: Decapitated Bonsai.

"Maybe if I buried this there as well it would grow and cover up everything?"

"Good thinking. That's teamwork." Hirame said, chuckling.

After a few moments, he sighed. "Maybe I should have done something more like that. Just, you know, not as bad. But drawing or a painting or something couldn't have gone as badly as this doll... right?"

[Shiba Jiro]

"Unsurprising," Urusai notes. "Just as it was not a surprise to see the Mantis do well afloat or the Shinjo ahorse."

He sighs.

"It's clear I still have much to learn."

"I keep seeing people feeling down or disappointed with their performances. You do realize that you are at the Topaz championship right?" He says with a smirk.

"That means two things. First being that we're all young and have much to learn. The second being that performance is relative. It may feel like you should be doing better, but that's only because you're performing against the other most talented students in the empire. You are doing better in life than performance here may suggest. Even the person that does the worst here it's still an exceptionally talented individual that will do great things in the future. Don't be surprised or sad if you don't perform as well as others."

[Seppun Urusai]

"I keep seeing people feeling down or disappointed with their performances. You do realize that you are at the Topaz championship right?" He says with a smirk.

"That means two things. First being that we're all young and have much to learn. The second being that performance is relative. It may feel like you should be doing better, but that's only because you're performing against the other most talented students in the empire. You are doing better in life than performance here may suggest. Even the person that does the worst here it's still an exceptionally talented individual that will do great things in the future. Don't be surprised or sad if you don't perform as well as others."

"What you say is true," Urusai replies, and he thinks but there's another issue in my case.

The voice in his mind affirms as much and adds that he had never competed for the Topaz.

"Still, it's...strange to have the gaps in my schooling pointed out. I'll have to think on it."

[Shiba Jiro]

"What you say is true," Urusai replies, and he thinks but there's another issue in my case.

The voice in his mind affirms as much and adds that he had never competed for the Topaz.

"Still, it's...strange to have the gaps in my schooling pointed out. I'll have to think on it."

"This entire competition is an indication of gaps in my schooling. But we learn and move forward. Many of the skills they've tested are not likely to actually be pertinent to me. I won't be firing a bow, riding a horse or sailing a ship as part of the duty I was trained for. That's not to say that duty won't change to include those things, but my training is for a different role and to not make use of that would be wasting the efforts of my sensei."

[Seppun Urusai]

"This entire competition is an indication of gaps in my schooling. But we learn and move forward. Many of the skills they've tested are not likely to actually be pertinent to me. I won't be firing a bow, riding a horse or sailing a ship as part of the duty I was trained for. That's not to say that duty won't change to include those things, but my training is for a different role and to not make use of that would be wasting the efforts of my sensei."

Urusai nods along thoughtfully, tapping his chin again.

"What duties do you foresee for yourself?" he asks.

[Shiba Jiro]

Urusai nods along thoughtfully, tapping his chin again.

"What duties do you foresee for yourself?" he asks.

"I suspect I'll be either assigned to a Phoenix court to entertain guests of my Lord or to support a diplomat of the Phoenix in another court. My training doesn't specifically focus on controlling the flow of court, but it does enable me to make doing so easier for friends and allies," he explains.

[Seppun Urusai]

"I suspect I'll be either assigned to a Phoenix court to entertain guests of my Lord or to support a diplomat of the Phoenix in another court. My training doesn't specifically focus on controlling the flow of court, but it does enable me to make doing so easier for friends and allies," he explains.

"Support personnel are valuable, indeed," Urusai affirms. "It'd be much harder for those at the front to do their work without the support of those behind them. It's good that your people recognize as much; not all do, more's the pity. It makes for some...less than optimal conduct from some, as reports put it."

He nods again.

"And it is good to have others to which to contribute. We are stronger together than alone."

[Shiba Jiro]

"Support personnel are valuable, indeed," Urusai affirms. "It'd be much harder for those at the front to do their work without the support of those behind them. It's good that your people recognize as much; not all do, more's the pity. It makes for some...less than optimal conduct from some, as reports put it."

He nods again.

"And it is good to have others to which to contribute. We are stronger together than alone."

"That's one reason we need not worry about our individual shortcomings or failures. Of course, we should always try to do our best, but if our best is not enough then there is someone more skilled to support and back us up. An empire is not a single person after all. The the Son of Heaven has us to ensure the strength of this empire, and maintains his own support personnel, relying on them for their expertise. Even he does not do everything alone."

[Seppun Urusai]

"That's one reason we need not worry about our individual shortcomings or failures. Of course, we should always try to do our best, but if our best is not enough then there is someone more skilled to support and back us up. An empire is not a single person after all. The the Son of Heaven has us to ensure the strength of this empire, and maintains his own support personnel, relying on them for their expertise. Even he does not do everything alone."

Urusai raises an eyebrow at the other youth, and his fan finds itself held by both hands.

It takes him a moment to parse the comment. Seppun gonna Seppun, after all.

But he nods at length. And the voice in his mind says he might bear some watching.

[Shiba Jiro]

Urusai raises an eyebrow at the other youth, and his fan finds itself held by both hands.

It takes him a moment to parse the comment. Seppun gonna Seppun, after all.

But he nods at length. And the voice in his mind says he might bear some watching.

At the quiet, Jiro inclines his head towards the Seppun but then looks at the other competitors, leaving a bit of space in the air for a moment.

[Nekoma Seto]

"Good thinking. That's teamwork." Hirame said, chuckling.

After a few moments, he sighed. "Maybe I should have done something more like that. Just, you know, not as bad. But drawing or a painting or something couldn't have gone as badly as this doll... right?"

Seto looked properly at the doll, and quickly wished he hadn't.

"Urk . . . maybe you need to hold that thing a funeral? Put it out of your misery?"

[Funegao no Hirame]

Seto looked properly at the doll, and quickly wished he hadn't.

"Urk . . . maybe you need to hold that thing a funeral? Put it out of your misery?"

Hirame chuckled. "I was thinking about that. But maybe nothing so formal. Chuck it in a fire. Walk quickly away. Pretend it never existed. That seems like the best way to handle it."

For the moment, though, he tucked it into his sash. Unfortunately, he did an imperfect job; half the head stuck out, just enough for the eyes to be visible...

[Nekoma Seto]

Hirame chuckled. "I was thinking about that. But maybe nothing so formal. Chuck it in a fire. Walk quickly away. Pretend it never existed. That seems like the best way to handle it."

For the moment, though, he tucked it into his sash. Unfortunately, he did an imperfect job; half the head stuck out, just enough for the eyes to be visible...

Great now it's watching everything we do.

He nodded, trying not to stare at the doll.

"I'd do the same for this but I think someone actually skilled in bonsai might be able to save something from it. Know anyone?"

[Funegao no Hirame]

Great now it's watching everything we do.

He nodded, trying not to stare at the doll.

"I'd do the same for this but I think someone actually skilled in bonsai might be able to save something from it. Know anyone?"

Hirame turned a bit at the waist, looking around. The doll shifted with the motion of his body, giving the appearing that it, too, was looking around.

After a few moments, he shrugged. "I don't know. One of the Phoenix I've met seemed like she would know about that sort of thing. Isawa Natsuko-san." He pursed his lips a moment. "I don't know that Kakita Ahiru-san knows much about bonsai, but she's a Crane, and she knows... stuff." Hirame waved a hand vaguely. "It's an idea, anyway. You could ask her."

[Nekoma Seto]

"Crane . . . yes, they'd probably know the most about bonsai. I think anyway. They care for all arts, right?"