The Way of Sensei Wu

Art: https://ukiyo-e.org/image/famsf/6340304231510005

Festive and festival share the same etymology, and one does not go without the other.

It's party time tonight at the village. The central place has become an open sky dance floor for the common people, the house of the vilage chief just next to it hosts a banquet for the distinguished guests of noble blood. In both cases, alcohol is pouring freely.

All the monks are there. Some are even a bit drunk themselves. While Tokiko is perfectly sober and discussing business with the shōya, Sensei Wu has had a few drinks and has sat under a tree to tell tales after tales of his past exploits, each story more unbelievable than the next. Sennin has been successfully trapped by one eager dancer. Hiro is listening to the performance of an itinerant flutist. Haruhi is doing strong woman stunts for the kids.

With so many in the monastery down at the village to party, Riri would definitely tag along. She spent some time taking a look at the places and people at the village, since she had spent all of her time outside in the mountains proper since coming to the monastery. She eventually sees Sennin, whose entrapment with a dancer draws a good laugh which she does her best to hide under some coughing, then Haruhi, who draws a smile and a thought to go and challenge her to a competition... and then to Hiro listening to some pleasant music.

She remembers something she heard a few days earlier, and her face is taken first by the expression of someone weighing a number of things on their mind, then by a smug grin.

Kichi, who was taking a look at some stands close by, looks at her with a worried look, of course. But she just waves as if saying Worry not, it's all fine! The young acolyte wasn't much convinced, but he kept quiet as she took her bo from her back and, carefully, circled around to Hiro's back, them stumbled, going bo first towards Hiro's back, an "Ah! I'm sorry, Hiro-san!" incoming as she made her way towards Hiro's back, the ground, or whatever she would find on her crash course towards 'important truths'.

Doji Riri wrote: ↑

Thu Jul 07, 2022 3:20 am

She remembers something she heard a few days earlier, and her face is taken first by the expression of someone weighing a number of things on their mind, then by a smug grin.

Kichi, who was taking a look at some stands close by, looks at her with a worried look, of course. But she just waves as if saying Worry not, it's all fine! The young acolyte wasn't much convinced, but he kept quiet as she took her bo from her back and, carefully, circled around to Hiro's back, them stumbled, going bo first towards Hiro's back, an "Ah! I'm sorry, Hiro-san!" incoming as she made her way towards Hiro's back, the ground, or whatever she would find on her crash course towards 'important truths'.

Hiro reacts as lightning, turning back to deflect the incoming "attack" with consumed reflexes, his hand closing on the handle of a blade... He is not carrying. An instant lost to hesitation later, the bō hits him right in the nose, followed by the rest of Riri's body as they crash to the ground together.

"Ouch. Are you alright Doji-sama?"

Brother Hiro wrote: ↑

Thu Jul 07, 2022 7:26 am

Hiro reacts as lightning, turning back to deflect the incoming "attack" with consumed reflexes, his hand closing on the handle of a blade... He is not carrying. An instant lost to hesitation later, the bō hits him right in the nose, followed by the rest of Riri's body as they crash to the ground together.

"Ouch. Are you alright Doji-sama?"

"Ah! I'm... I'm fine!", she says as she starts trying to raise herself and disentagle herself from him. "Oh, that was so clumsy of me! I'm terribly sorry!"

She extends her hand to get the bo that had fallen to their side. "I hope I haven't hurt you with my blunder?", she asks, finally finding a way to look at the boy as she tries to untangle dirt and some of the omamori on her now disheveled hair. "I... ah... I noticed you seemed to be grasping for something? Did you forget something up on the mountain, Hiro-san?"

A perfectly normal question with no hidden subtext whatsoever, of course.

Doji Riri wrote: ↑

Thu Jul 07, 2022 8:34 pm

"Ah! I'm... I'm fine!", she says as she starts trying to raise herself and disentagle herself from him. "Oh, that was so clumsy of me! I'm terribly sorry!"

She extends her hand to get the bo that had fallen to their side. "I hope I haven't hurt you with my blunder?", she asks, finally finding a way to look at the boy as she tries to untangle dirt and some of the omamori on her now disheveled hair. "I... ah... I noticed you seemed to be grasping for something? Did you forget something up on the mountain, Hiro-san?"

A perfectly normal question with no hidden subtext whatsoever, of course.

Hiro accepts the hand and stands up.

"From what I can infer from my short talk with the abbess after lunch, you're asking questions you already know the answer to Doji-sama. Though asking rhetorical questions to force your interlocutor to think about them is something no monk can really complain about without a bit of hypocrisy."

Hiro's voice is calm and peaceful, with a hint of self-deprecation.

"I can be as headstrong as my sister when I want to, but when absolutely everyone tells me no, even I understand there might be good reasons for that."

In the background, the flutist plays a maybe mood-inappropriate cheerful tone.

Brother Hiro wrote: ↑

Thu Jul 07, 2022 9:32 pm

Hiro accepts the hand and stands up.

"From what I can infer from my short talk with the abbess after lunch, you're asking questions you already know the answer to Doji-sama. Though asking rhetorical questions to force your interlocutor to think about them is something no monk can really complain about without a bit of hypocrisy."

Hiro's voice is calm and peaceful, with a hint of self-deprecation.

"I can be as headstrong as my sister when I want to, but when absolutely everyone tells me no, even I understand there might be good reasons for that."

In the background, the flutist plays a maybe mood-inappropriate cheerful tone.

The woman starts her answer with a coy smile, slightly abashed. "I... may know some answers, Hiro-san, but... I'd say I still have more questions than answers." The smile turns friendlier and more cheerful. "Not that all questions need answers, of course, ne?"

With the monk up, she keeps trying to get the dirt off her clothes and her, letting her eyes drift away from him and into the flutist.

"I... hope it didn't hit Hiro-san like a hard no? What Haruhi-san was saying... she was more concerned about the why and how of this choice now." Her eyes meet Hiro's again, she blinks, and when she opens her eyes, a smile and part of her soul seem to open together with it.

"Sensei Wu's words struck... something the other day, Hiro-san. Made me keep wondering - why am I who I am? What I am? Do I struggle to accept it?"

She shakes her head slightly, eyes still on him. "I feel, being... this, here, now, I must still find a path. Some of my sensei's words resonated together with Sensei Wu's, see?" The smile opened wider. "I suppose... I just hope if you have forgotten something, up in the mountain, when you went up, when coming down, or whenever, that you may find it back. Even if only to dance around it and throw it on the water to see how many times it skips", she adds with an impish grin.

She then leans her head towards the flutist. "Speaking of which, do you know how to dance, Hiro-san?"

Doji Riri wrote: ↑

Fri Jul 08, 2022 2:13 am

Hiro's brain tries to analyze every philosophical conundrum raised by the conversation as they come by, but his overthinking crumbles in the face of the far more mundane final question.

"Uh, I don't think so? Never had dancing classes as part of my curriculum, here or before."

Brother Hiro wrote: ↑

Fri Jul 08, 2022 5:56 am

Hiro's brain tries to analyze every philosophical conundrum raised by the conversation as they come by, but his overthinking crumbles in the face of the far more mundane final question.

"Uh, I don't think so? Never had dancing classes as part of my curriculum, here or before."

The Crane's answer is adorned by a continuation of the previous grin and a slight pursing of her lips. "I... had a few, but I don't think they did much good. Always danced better with a stick than with a person", she says letting out a chuckle. "Hm... would you be opposed to trying, though?", she adds with another gesture of her head towards the area in front of the flutist where of the townsfolk are dancing.

Doji Riri wrote: ↑

Fri Jul 08, 2022 6:16 am

The Crane's answer is adorned by a continuation of the previous grin and a slight pursing of her lips. "I... had a few, but I don't think they did much good. Always danced better with a stick than with a person", she says letting out a chuckle. "Hm... would you be opposed to trying, though?", she adds with another gesture of her head towards the area in front of the flutist where of the townsfolk are dancing.

"Uh, sure," answers Hiro after one more instant of his eyes wandering in search parents who aren't there to see if they would approve.

"A day where something new is learned is a good day," he adds, grasping at what he knows.

Brother Hiro wrote: ↑

Fri Jul 08, 2022 6:35 am

"Uh, sure," answers Hiro after one more instant of his eyes wandering in search parents who aren't there to see if they would approve.

"A day where something new is learned is a good day," he adds, grasping at what he knows.

A smile, a nod and she steps ahead, leading the way. "Shall we see what we can learn then?"

----

Silly fluff roll, I guess?

Doji Riri wrote: ↑

Fri Jul 08, 2022 6:54 am

Apparently, Hiro is a very nervous dancer, but also someone with a pretty good bodily coordination. In hindsight, as could be expected of someone who's practiced intensively several forms of martial arts.

Still, nervousness is in his character:

"Am I doing good Doji-sama?"

Brother Hiro wrote: ↑

Fri Jul 08, 2022 7:35 am

Apparently, Hiro is a very nervous dancer, but also someone with a pretty good bodily coordination. In hindsight, as could be expected of someone who's practiced intensively several forms of martial arts.

Still, nervousness is in his character:

"Am I doing good Doji-sama?"

The Doji did her best to weave and flow alongside Hiro as the music went on, but while less nervous, she was also less agile than him.

"You're kidding, right, Hiro-san?", she said between chuckles as she circled around him. "If it weren't for the tension in your face I could swear you were born for this!"

She weaves around him some more, managing at least to avoid stumbling or stepping on his feet. "Is this really your first time dancing, Hiro-san? I can't help but wonder about where your and Haruhi-san's talents come from!"

For his own part, Ketsudan arrives with the later parts of the procession, and he finds his way to the food and sake. And why not?

(Quote me to talk?)

Doji Riri wrote: ↑

Fri Jul 08, 2022 8:07 am

The Doji did her best to weave and flow alongside Hiro as the music went on, but while less nervous, she was also less agile than him.

"You're kidding, right, Hiro-san?", she said between chuckles as she circled around him. "If it weren't for the tension in your face I could swear you were born for this!"

She weaves around him some more, managing at least to avoid stumbling or stepping on his feet. "Is this really your first time dancing, Hiro-san? I can't help but wonder about where your and Haruhi-san's talents come from!"

"You're too nice Doji-sama. No secret here but daily dutiful training for years and years. If the kami have blessed us in any way in that regard, it's with perseverance."

The Imperial had found her own place to sit and watch the revelry. There, she had set out a tea set, and requested hit water. She had her own ideas of how to party.

Seppun Hibiki wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 09, 2022 1:31 am

The Imperial had found her own place to sit and watch the revelry. There, she had set out a tea set, and requested hit water. She had her own ideas of how to party.

Ketsudan notices and makes his way there.

"Would Seppun-sama accept some company?" he asks with a bow.

Brother Hiro wrote: ↑

Fri Jul 08, 2022 1:31 pm

"You're too nice Doji-sama. No secret here but daily dutiful training for years and years. If the kami have blessed us in any way in that regard, it's with perseverance."

"Oh, I'm just stating a fact, Hiro-san", she said happily. "But I'll take your word for that - Haruhi-san also seems quite perseverant. I... understand it's something you ended up needing to. And... I'm sorry you had to go through that", she added, a bit more seriously. "Whatever it was."

Kitsuki Ketsudan wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 09, 2022 3:32 am

Ketsudan notices and makes his way there.

"Would Seppun-sama accept some company?" he asks with a bow.

She nodded. "Please, Kitsuki-san, join me for tea."

Doji Riri wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 09, 2022 4:43 pm

"Oh, I'm just stating a fact, Hiro-san", she said happily. "But I'll take your word for that - Haruhi-san also seems quite perseverant. I... understand it's something you ended up needing to. And... I'm sorry you had to go through that", she added, a bit more seriously. "Whatever it was."

"Part of me has made peace with it, has accepted the responsibility was shared between me, my then lord, bad luck, ineluctability. Part of me still seeks to shoulder the blame, the deaths, alone.

If the gods allow it, stay away from war Doji-sama. On the battlefield, courage and honor are just tiny islands of light in the ocean of blood and sorrow."

Seppun Hibiki wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 09, 2022 6:11 pm

She nodded. "Please, Kitsuki-san, join me for tea."

"It will be a pleasure," Ketsudan says, and he seats himself.

"What blend, if it may be asked? Hoji-cha, perchance?"