The New Winds

"WOW!" Ginkarasu stood in the middle of the Gardens of Juramashi's Honor. Blinking, eyes wide, trying to take in all the vibrant colors coming from actual plants! From flowers! Who knew you could have those colors in the real world!

"WOW!" He'd been saying it every few steps. A small part of him was angry about it, because he should have something more profound to say. But it was just so utterly overwhelming.



"WOW!"

You go see the southern wall a little hour or two, and when you return your travel companion has vanished in the town. After basically going to the main commerce centers and finding nothing, the Kaiu went to see the in-use, external wall, seeking for what he could learn from it. The closest way was passing by the side of the garden of the Juramashi district.
That's when he heard a not so strange voice. Looking on the direction of it, there he found the Yasuki. Aiichiro observed silent for a moment, finding all of that kinda dumb, but on the other side... Maybe not so dumb. Colors be pretty indeed.

Ginkarasu's hands turned to fists and relaxed, fists, relaxed, over and over again.

He wasn't certain how to feel all of this.

Sure, Yasuki lands weren't bad. But they certainly weren't largest garden in Otosan Uchi maintained by 30 Kakita Artisans pretty. Not by a long shot.

It was overwhelming. And that was threatening. It was gorgeous and that was wonderful. It was so different from what he'd seen along the road that supplied the Wall. So very alien. So very unfair, somehow. It looked like good mochi tasted. Just, the best. But it wasn't the flowers' fault they were planted here.

Fist. Relax. Fist. Relax.

He scavenged the floor, searching for a fallen petal - he would not dare remove one, not dare to violate the emperor's property. It was not so much of a hard work. Picking one directly from the ground, he put it inside the traveling bag. Would be good for the next letter... Did they allow to send letters inside the dojo?
Perceiving he started to rub his fingers, the boy let both hands free. Worries could be thought about later. Now was time to flowers. It should be just so much work to maintain the flowers like this. Personnel that could never be spared on the crab. They say Shiro Kaiu is the less refinated, more hostile castle on the entire empire.
He started to approach the Yasuki, silently as he could, without looking like he was trying to approach silently. Ginkarasu seemed pretty distracted, after all. Giving a scare would be fun.
He would ask when he got very near, he would ask "Like the flowers?", he would ask.

He'd never be a good yojimbo if he hadn't been learning not to get snuck up on, especially as someone who when he was snuck up on was often beaten by the larger kids at the Crab dojo. Plus Aiichiro had been trying to do it for awhile. He was pretty certain his dad had promised the Kaiu some mochi if he ever truly surprised Ginkarasu.

"They're very....wow." He's not at all good at appearing cool, but he is good at staying calm. It was really important to stay calm.

"The smells and the sight of them. Don't have anything like this in any of Crab lands that I've been to, and we travel a lot! Everyone wants mochi and it's important everyone can get some." He keeps looking at the flowers. "I wonder if anyone knows all of their names, or if they just keep finding new ones."

"You like them?"

"I rarely ever get out of Yoake. I think Shiro Kaiu is the farthest I had travelled until then." He answered. "Well, not anymore."

"My father sometimes send me flowers coated in wax so they won't dry on the way when he sends a letter. I don't know if this is some letter protocol or he just like flowers. But I think the second, there was this time I asked a senpai something and he answered without any flowers."

"I think the people who tend for it know their names. Like, some heimin. Perhaps a few Crane too? The garden is beautiful, but it all looks so extravagant. You seem to enjoy it for the first time, but I thought the Yasuki had gardens. You know, it's the pretty castle."

"Oh the Yasuki Palace does. And some people do at their homes. But nowhere near this many colors or types. Mom says its good to remind guests of their homes, so there's a few types of gardens. Nothing this big. The Hida would never accept it." He frowns, trying not to turn in circles. "I can't see the other end of it even."

He looks over to Aiichiro. "Plus I don't really get to wander the Yasuki gardens. Accidentally wrecking something might mean someone doesn't get to have food on the Wall and that's just never okay."

"I go to Shiro Kaiu quite frequently. It has no gardens. They would not survive its students, or simply they would occupy too much space, or would get in the way of the machines. But I almost never see anyone new there, and only twice or thrice someone from other clan. So it makes sense not having to impress anyone."
He looks around. It was really that big.
"Don't you fear wrecking some flower here, too?"

"Maybe I should. I don't know if that rule applies outside of Crab lands." He looks to Aiichiro for a moment, conspiratorially. "I heard him once when I was home from the dojo. He'd been drinking with an Ikoma, so you know, can't hold it against him or anything. But he said that the other clans don't do everything they can to defeat the foe beyond the wall. They even do things like war on each other, and not even to get better at fighting so they can try to be like the Seven Thunders or anything, but just because someone tracked mud on a court room floor."

He bends down to look at one of the flowers a bit closer.

"I bet that's why my sensei told me to always clean my sandals before going inside. I mean, he said if I was chasing an enemy it was probably alright not to, but it'd just make more enemies out here to go running in with a sword out and leaving muddy foot prints everywhere."

He looked around in fear someone could be hearing the hot gossip. Seeing it was safe, Aiichirō turned his attention back.
"My father told me the Phoenix research magic, but they don't share it with the others. Like... I see no sense in those kind of things, too, but he says the Phoenix keeps peace between the clans, so they should really spend a lot of time wanting to war with one another." The boy answered. "And... Have you seen the battle engines of the Lion when we were traveling? It was all so... Archaic. I could doodle a better project myself. Also, one day I went into a girl's bedroom by accident, I swear, and she had a jade comb. Like, jade. But this was nearer the Crane."

He leaned closer to analyze the same flower as if you had found something interesting.

"I think running in with an unsheathed sword can be treated as a menace, yes."

His eyes go wide at the mention of a jade comb. "How rich were they? I don't even want to think about how much a jade comb would cost."

He shakes his head with the uncertainty of a young teenager. "Aiichiro-san, I don't know how the older Crab do it. How do they keep from punching them all in the face? I know it's important to stay calm, but how are we going to handle.." he waves at the flowers. "All of this! Bushido says compassion is important. Are we supposed to pretend they're not being dumb out of kindness? Cause Honesty is also what Bushido is supposed to be about."

"You know, right? I wish I could have a jade finger with me now but they took mines on my way out. I'm kind of lucky I will only ever live basically for... You know, I really want to be near Kyuden Hida... anyway, I'll rarely ever travel when I'm older. I don't know how I would handle the rest of the empire this often."
He approached more the flower he was observing before, touching it.
"I think that, because of cortesy, we can't tell them they are dumb... But it wouldn't be an offense if we told them that they could help more... Or would it be lack of duty, because it would imply we can't do it on our own?"

"Hai, courtesy would say that. Hmm." He sits down, thinking. "We've been doing it on our own I guess. And if our elders needed help they would have asked before now, right?"

"I'm not great at the Yasuki way, but maybe that's why my cousins are the ones who go to court. Convincing the other clans to help by making them not realize they're helping."

"The older Kaiu say we need jade and that they complain to the imperial capital, but they never answer with more jade. So all the older Kaiu are searching if something other than jade works against oni, because then they would not need to ask. Do you think they may not know why we need it?"

"Maybe!" He looks to Aiichiro. "Do you think we'll get to ask the Ruby Champion? She'd know right? And it's something we should learn. She's the best sensei in the Empire! She'd have to know."

"I think that if we have to ask her, it would be better for you to do it? Being the Yasuki. Also... You can lend you my fan if you do it. I think fans look courtly."

"I have a fan in my pack, I thought it was just for when it's hot out." He looks over, "But thank you, that's really nice."

"I think you are right and that holding fans may just be a doll thing? I know the wooden dolls hold up fans, too. At least mines do." Aiichiro wasn't that concerned at having a girl's toy. He had some confidence, or just slipped the information out.

The Kaiu probably had wooden dolls for target practice for their tiny catapults. Ginkarasu wasn't concerned.

"This is the Emperor's garden though right? I bet he's got a real good reason to have all this with the war going on all these centuries. No way the Great Bear would stay quiet if he thought things out here were being done wrong, right?" He asks pondering the thought. Hida Kisada wasn't afraid of anything, things and people were afraid of Hida Kisada.

He nods firmly. "So, we ask the Ruby Champion with courtesy because we're being honest about being students in her dojo and wanting to understand. And not like we're interrogating her to know where the missing mochi went."

"The Emperor is someone who needs to really impress visitors." He remarked. "Specially the Crane. He lives very near the Crane. But he is also, like, the Emperor, so if he wants a garden he can have it too. I don't think Hida-sama can ever accuse the Emperor of being wrong. I hope the Ruby Champion can tell him that the other clans are not fighting properly against the Dark One."

He stopped paying attention to the flower and looked at you.

"Did the mochi went anywhere?"