The Way of Sensei Wu

Taka has done his best to impress Sumire, helping her up onto Koku's back as they ride into the woods, attempting to be a perfect gentleman despite how close she is (against his more fun instincts). He takes charge to try to set up as comfortable a setup as he can for all three of them: finding a short fissure and using it as one side of a wall as he extends his tent to make more room. Taka digs a small mound and sticks in a few hollow logs to make a chimney to warm Koku.

After a small fire is going, he goes to pull out his shamisen and begins to pluck at a few notes and checks on Sumire.

"How are you doing?"

Sumire had made sure to do some preparations before making her way to the campfire via horseback. It meant she seemed to talk to Hard Rider more than she talked to Taka, and she did really seem more at home in nature with animals. She was more relaxed (if such a thing was possible), and oddly more softly spoken in close proximity to the animal.

Arriving, she did what every Crane maiden would do to help set up a campfire; nothing whatsoever. Just softly playing her old looking but very cared for biwa as musical entertainment while Taka did all the work. Once everything was set up she would finally sit down.

"I'm well! Lots of walking around today talking to people, the monks know how to make people work for attention ne? How has your day been?"

Taka never knew that he would feel jealous toward a horse, but he wasn't going to blow the opportunity while he had it.

"A lot of the same. I'm really not sure what some of it has to do with anything, but I can't say that I'm upset. I'll be honest though." Taka plucks a few strings of his shamisen, adjusting to tune it. "This is the part I've been looking forward to."

"Oh!" Taka snaps his fingers, "I had forgotten." He pulls a bottle of sake out of his pack and places it by the fire to warm. "I did a bit of shopping"

"You were looking forward to the monks taking you on a wild hawk chase? You really are an odd one" Sumire laughed, playing a slow song on her biwa to keep the mood gentle.

There was a grin at the sake.

"You went shopping for sake but nothing for Hard Rider?" she looked over her shoulder at the horse "did he get you anything? I hope he didn't forget about you."

Kakita Sumire wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 30, 2022 5:00 pm

"You were looking forward to the monks taking you on a wild hawk chase? You really are an odd one" Sumire laughed, playing a slow song on her biwa to keep the mood gentle.

There was a grin at the sake.

"You went shopping for sake but nothing for Hard Rider?" she looked over her shoulder at the horse "did he get you anything? I hope he didn't forget about you."

"No silly. This." Taka motions to the scene in front of them. "I did manage to get some supplies. Honey and oats, and..." Taka opens a bagm offering an apple to the horse, who takes a large bite of the fruit to let out a satisfied cruch. "These last well past harvest if you store them right, and the village had some"

"Oh" Sumire chuckled "I have also. It's a nice evening, not too cold. The snow is around but not getting worse. Sake is good too, although can't drink too much lest neither of us make it back sober and I'm certain Hard Rider will only bring me back" she looked to the horse with a knowing nod before looking back at Taka "how was the village? I considered visiting but then got distracted doing some writing."

"Agreed. Just enough to lubricate things, I hope."

"There's one thing I absolutely want to keep working

"He probably would pick you...and just go slow enough that I'd need to keep up on foot. That would show me, right buddy?"

Taka pats the horse's nose and then scatches his neck.

"It's a quiet place, but they seem to have a good relationship with the monks. It seems that nearly everyone except Mother Tokiko traveled here. It helps the town thrive"

Taka cocks his head. "What writing did you do?"

Sumire laughed.

"Lubricate neh?"

She looked at the horse, shaking her head.

"He's unbelievable isn't he?"

She looked back to the human, struming the instrument again.

"Oh I was just adding a few more parts to my book. I was going through a bit of a mental block, but after some time discussing composition with Mother Tokiko I felt a little more inspired. Once my quill met paper I just couldn't stop. Nearly made me late coming here."

There is a whinney in return.

"Oh, I believe it. He likes you. You're better than most. You bring snacks.

Taka raises an eyebrow looking between the two.

"What you are writing about? I fell down a rabbit warren and found that I have a lot of... " He pauses " wants"

"I think it's more than snacks" Sumire replied to the horse with a chuckle, putting her biwa down.

"I'm in the middle of writing my first book, a pillow book about a woman called Mimiko who gets lost in another realm. It's a lot of fun, but I've got way more to do until it's finished."

There was a small frown.

"Rabbit warren? Where? Rabbits are...usually not around now."

"It was a metaphor. As I 'meta' know what it's 'for' when I talk about it". Taka strums a few more notes. "Ok, that joke might have been a stretch.

Koku neighs.

"Hey, I'd like to see you make a joke out of it"

Taka takes a moment to pull out his sake cup and pour from the now warmed bottle. He offers it to Sumire.

"So...why did you agree to come out with me?"