Serenading the Carp (Closed)

[Otomo Nobuko]

"Then... she has not fulfilled her promise to you?"

[Yasuki Ginkarasu]

A shake of his head, and a shrug. "May I speak on the commercial aspect of things briefly?"

[Otomo Nobuko]

She really didn't want to, but they were in private so there would be no loss of face. Just the general distaste of speaking about money that came with her upbringing.

"If you wish."

[Yasuki Ginkarasu]

"One reason I learned to rely on commerce is that sometimes it is easier for people to trade one thing for another, and not have to remember later. Having to remember, having to call in a favor or possibly shame someone because they decide not to repay it..." He frowns slightly. "It adds a burden."

A shake of his head, "Oh! On better news! I sent the coin to the Wall! Hiruma-sensei has an acquaintance they trust and had me write a letter to send! Raised a little over a koku to send."

[Otomo Nobuko]

"The point of favors is that they show how honorable and honest a person is. If they cannot remember to fulfill them, then that is a failure on their part. It is no more a burden on them than Bushido already is. The reason the heimin trade in coin is because their word is not trustworthy. A samurai's is."

She sighed, "Or it should be. We are still children, however, and it can be difficult to remember all obligations we agree to. But we should still strive to do so."

Nobuko took her picks off her fingers and offered a small smile, "One koku is enough to feed one man for a year... I can only assume that this will not be spent on rice, but on all the other things that can be of more immediate value."

[Yasuki Ginkarasu]

He nods. "Hai, depending on how things go during Winter Court. But we might save a life or a soul."

[Otomo Nobuko]

She put her finger picks into her sleeve, then tapped the strings of her koto on the side nearest her. An idle action that predicated nothing more than giving her a moment or two to think.

When she spoke again, she returned to the previous topic, that of favors and one in particular, "Since Kakita-san did not fulfill her part of the favor, but it was made on my urging, I will take responsibility for the lack of follow-through. I cannot help with matters of the sword, but I hold some talent at Sadane."

She stilled her fingers, settling into a more comfortable seated position, "The purpose is to critique art in a way that points out the flaws without being outright insulting. All who are taking part must agree upon the work to discuss and then to take turns - without saying they are turns as it must flow like a natural conversation - exchanging the criticism in ways that add to the conversation without simply restating the same point. You can reference the point and use it to build upon, but you cannot simply restate it.

"If we were to discuss... the craftsmanship of my koto, I might begin with a statement about the quality of it's wood being 'perfect for a student'. This does not insult the instrument directly, but it implies that it is no good for an artist of true proficiency, and thus, not of good enough quality to be used in public, just for practice."

Which was a lot to imply off of a simple statement about wood quality.

"When you speak, you would then pick something else to critique, offering a subtle insult in the form of a compliment."

[Yasuki Ginkarasu]

He looks about the room for awhile, attempting to think of what to critique.

Settling finally he brings up: "You know, our sensei really kept us from worrying about what we'd be wearing. One size fits all clothing is certainly an efficient choice for kids from such diverse backgrounds."

[Otomo Nobuko]

Well, if he wanted to shift focus to the Sensei's rules and actions... they could do that. It wasn't really an art or object, but sure!

"Providing us comfort with such... conformity must have be at the top of their list of priorities," she agreed, shifting the criticism from 'being cheap with the costs' to 'being rushed with the set up', "Admirable when they had so little to work with in providing us any other comforts."

[Yasuki Ginkarasu]

"I'm sure getting enough scrolls for the libraries here was one of their focuses. Learning from the histories of the Empire is a great way to pass the time while the other students get special attention from the sensei over and over." He smiles a bit at that, wondering how many papercuts he'd suffered.

[Otomo Nobuko]

She lifted a hand to indicate a pause in the game, "Perhaps a better phrasing would be 'Learning from the histories of the Empire is a great way to further one's self-study when other students require such focused attention to understand the same lessons.' It is a less direct way of saying they seemed to have distributed their attentions with favoritism that usually only occurs at our own Dojo after several years of instruction at proving of one's worth. You must not be direct with the pointed words, so that you can dance around the potential insult given or grievance aired."

Nobuko lowered her hand and resumed a well-cultured relaxed position, "Their personal investment was certainly impressive for those who have no other connection to the students received. It feels as though they often exhausted themselves with their efforts. We should praise them for the personal sacrifices they made. Certainly, being rousted from bed and forced to come running at all hours of the night to protect us will be rewarded."

The fact that they had to be protected in the first place - as much the blame fell on the governor - was sill a problem with their own preparedness. Not to mention how often they arrived just after most events of portent had been resolved.

[Yasuki Ginkarasu]

He dips his head, trying to understand. "Ah. Okay."

He twists his hands a little together, trying to think of another one. Finding ways to insult things was difficult. "I know I appreciated the great amounts of trust they conveyed that we would further our own studies by giving us enough free time to protect the barracks from spirits, thieves, and the presence of a third of the students sleeping here."

[Otomo Nobuko]

Perhaps a little too on the nose, and revisiting her own implied criticism, but not a terrible one.

Oh why not! She was pissed about the dangers presented them. Might as well get some sarcastic digs in while she could.

"I was particularly thrilled at how often Asako-Sensei made herself available for aiding us in such activities. It was only when we were attacked from within that she did not arrive fashionably late. Completely unlike her. The other Sensei certainly were able to maintain their distance until the morning. I wonder if she was unwell."

[Yasuki Ginkarasu]

He did like the Asako, she was kind and healed Aiichiro and Ton. But it was just a game.

"I know I appreciated their firm belief in our ability to understand what occurred, and for everyone to instantly learn from the experience. It was a very enlightening experience, speaking to those who had been present afterwards to ascertain what had happened."

[Otomo Nobuko]

"They did a wonderful job of obtaining testimony. Their trust that we would then spread warning among ourselves rather than give any to us directly, speaks volumes on how close we are to being considered adults. Though the structure they impose on our schedules would imply otherwise to anyone outside our little group."

[Yasuki Ginkarasu]

He laughs at that one.

"It is odd. They took us and in ten days I'm three times as strong as I was when I arrived and can run twice as long as I ever did. If I hadn't eaten it, I'd wonder what they were feeding us."

[Otomo Nobuko]

"They have forced us to grow faster than our Sensei have ever done, but it is only because we have had years of training behind us that we can grow at all. I, for one, have been constantly surprised by my performance in things I have been thought to need to know about. It is... "

Not Sadane.

"...getting away from the point. I think you have the gist of how to offer criticism and implied failures without offering insult directly. Just be sure to remember to remain on topic. When one is presented or started with, that is what should be kept to. Idle games of it between friends can be done about anyone or anything that passes by, but for a more diverse group, it has to be kept civil. Which means not straying. And when you are unable to offer new criticisms or further the conversation, you have effectively lost. If your opponents are not, they are the ones who have lost."

A pause.

"Also, try not to insult your opponents or their families. It's very frowned upon to speak ill of someone's parent no matter how large, lacking in obvious sense, or holding little status they may or may not be."

[Yasuki Ginkarasu]

Ginkarasu nods energetically at that. "Yes. Never insult a Crab's mother, especially. Unless you like to count your teeth, outside of your head."

[Otomo Nobuko]

"oh my," she blinked hard at that. "Ah... yes. Very much so."

[Yasuki Ginkarasu]

"Crabs who're friends often tease each other. It's a good way to see how stressed someone is, which is important to do for a friend, because we can be really stubborn and keep doing our duty past reasonable periods of time. It's more direct then sadane, but there are lines you certainly don't cross. And a lot of Crab bushi learn they have to react quickly to threats." He looks to Nobuko quick. "It probably won't ever come up for you, but if you have to wake a Crab, I also suggest doing it with a stick. Even a lot of Yasuki spend a lot of time in the wilderness on the road, where waking up with a weapon in hand can mean you're still alive after whatever woke you up was just a little too loud."