The New Winds

His brother would have joked about intentionally joining a Bayushi for tea if the situation were different. Something something lacing arsenic into the tea. He'd learned long ago that was just his brother's awful sense of humor teasing him about his fears, but the thought of it lingered for a moment before he smiled to himself and entered the tea room to wait for his guest.

Silly old wive's tales droning on in his head... now to get them to shut up.

The table had been set for a tea service, and Bayushi Jiro was sitting behind that table. A scroll bearing the steps of a tea ceremony rested on Saburo's side of the table.

Jiro rose and bowed fluidly. "It is a pleasure to see you again, Asako-san. Please, have a seat. Has your day been to your expectations?"

"Exactly and succinctly," he said as he relaxed into position. When he saw the scroll, he simply nodded. This was a pure learning experience. Well, so long as the water wasn't tainted, he could handle burned tea. It was hardly the worst thing in the world. This was more about socialization, and if it afforded the young man practice, so much the better he supposed. "I have performed adequately with only ... minimal errors to speak of, though I am finding that I must absolutely work on my capacities to center myself."

Because the slightest error was unacceptable, even if it didn't cost him 'points.'

"I understand the need. It is why I have been practicing this method." The Bayushi tilted his head. "Would you care to officiate, or shall I?"

"I believe that it is expected that courtiers participate and officiate the ceremony, so I will give the opportunity to lead to you, and participate myself." Either way, he would learn, though he personally preferred the concept of meditation for personal replenishment. He just actually had to, you know, meditate successfully once in his life.

Jiro bowed his head in acquiescence, taking a moment to cleans the tools in the ancient methods prescribed, then to mix the tea in its bowl before passing it to Saburo for appraisal.

Tea Ceremony check=16

A sip of the tea after turning it the way he remembered that he'd been told to turn it. He breathed the aroma and nodded. "The tea is fine. There is something missing, but I cannot say what. It is... simply good tea, does that make sense? Something about this entire ceremony is meant to be sublime, and it escapes me every time."

"I'm not sure what that would be, Asako-san, unless you had received some manner of spiritual damage in the past? Have you had any dangerous encounters with spirits?"

"Nothing that I can recall." He recalled nothing of the sort in his past. "I believe that my void is simply still a work in progress, the center and seat of my being. I am thinking that many of us have a certain difficulty in that. It may be our youth. Hard to quite appreciate the fullness of the ceremony. Doji-sama spoke much about 'proper appreciation."

Another sip. "to me? It is just tea."

"It is unfortunate that your world remains duller thank it is for others. If I could offer a...recommendation to encourage your growth; the goal of the ceremony isn't to enjoy tea. The goal is to use the movements in the ceremony, their smoothness, the efficiency in them, to reflect on and enhance that center of your being. The tea is just a byproduct."

"Hmmm... that might be the problem. I tend to view many things very literally. This is more of a ... not an exact approach, but the familiarity of ritual. That makes it feel almost a religious experience." That was a thing that he understood at the very least. Treating it as a spiritual effort was perhaps a helpful tool. "You will have to forgive me. I am unaccustomed to courtly matters being quite so spiritual as a rule."

"The more you are exposed to them, the more you will see that there is a ritualized framework that has its roots in religion." He smirked. "Though you are right to assume that most of what happens within that framework is not particularly spiritual."