Light sparring before a light breakfast

[Kaito Haruki]

"I'll leave describing what attacked us to Aiichiro-san. Long story short though, it seems like the problem is taken care of for now. The senseis said that we should be safe for the rest of our training, and they'll have enough time after that to figure out exactly what they want to do with this information."

[Utaku Nesrin]

"Wait, Kaiu-san knows what they were, but doesn't know about the city?" Hand on hip she looks around as if something in the yard would tell her. "Did I miss more than one night? Like those stories about people who follow spirits away for adventures and come back to find everyone they knew is a hundred years old?"

[Kaiu Aiichiro]

"I know because they came from their city trying to attack the barracks! Hida-sensei told me to analyze them when they were dead. They were tainted, though. Normal Zokujin would never do that. Probably never." He answers.
"No, you were just sleeping. I counted who was inside."

[Kaito Haruki]

"I talked with Asako-sensei this morning while getting water for cleaning. She was able to speak to the kami, but they only give very basic descriptions, especially when you're asking about a part of the land far away from where you ask the kami."

[Utaku Nesrin]

Zokujin, tainted?, kami...it was a lot to take in at once. The Unicorn threw her head back, laughing. "Fortunes, that's definitely some extra training. I can't believe I slept through it!"

"I don't know at thing about what the kami know, but I do know you can't really scout a place entirely though a spyglass. You need to go in and look properly. Are they going to send anyone? Was anyone hurt last night?" She started a mental tally of who she'd seen this morning so far.

"And...what are zokujin?" She definitely had not gotten that in any classes so far.

She looks at the bokken. "Um...but I don't want to stop your training if that's what you're here for..." she offers courteously while practically twitching with curiosity.

[Kaiu Aiichiro]

"What's a spyglass? Anyway, I think not. If they did, I bet it would be Hiruma-sensei. They said that he is a veteran scout of the Shadowlands. I'm not training, more like watching. And Zokujin are one of the races that existed before mankind."

[Utaku Nesrin]

She holds her hands out, miming holding something tubular up to her eye while closing the other. "Metal tube, about so long, with glass in it that's cut to let you see far away things as if they're much closer." She points at a distant roof. "So you could look and see what kind of birds those little bumps on the roof there are."

"So Zokujin are...like Tengu? They've been here before us but don't really hang around much these days and we just tell stories about them?

[Kokyou]

"Been going pretty good, Kokyou-san...if a little odd. Still wrapping my head around that meditation training, still working on my archery form and speed." She looks at the bokken, and from him to Kazuko. "How's your training going?"

Kokyou looks to Kazuko, still massaging his buns, and then, as if the Fortunes blessed their light on the Mantis boy, they change subject.

Every word they say removes the pain from Kokyou's behind. He says, with a chuckle, after they debate lengthily about the subject, "Haaar!"

A moment of dramatic attention is given, and he adds on, "Ye can now rest safe knowin' the Hero o' Hirosaka Dojo be here. Worthless spirits, chimp faced bandits, dung diggin blasphemers 'n now rabid monsters. They be no match fer the cap'n 'n his crew. Incredible shugenja magical powers, infinite blade works n' jaw-dropping handsomeness."

[Utaku Nesrin]

Maybe it's the lessons in Tegensai teaching her to better find meaning in context, but somehow, more of that makes sense than she would have expected. She raises an eyebrow at his shift in subject, and looks to Kazuko, suspecting the reason for it.

Grinning though, she adds, "Hero of Hirosaka Dojo, eh? They're handing out titles now?"

"But really, glad everyone's ok." At least the group she could see here was.

[Kakita Kazuko]

Maybe it's the lessons in Tegensai teaching her to better find meaning in context, but somehow, more of that makes sense than she would have expected. She raises an eyebrow at his shift in subject, and looks to Kazuko, suspecting the reason for it.

Grinning though, she adds, "Hero of Hirosaka Dojo, eh? They're handing out titles now?"

"But really, glad everyone's ok." At least the group she could see here was.

"Heh, he's just trying to look impressive, they're not handing out titles. He did help out a lot in the attack though. A couple students ended up getting injured, but they recovered thanks to the efforts of everyone involved."

[Kaito Haruki]

"Sorry I couldn't get them to attack me more. If they were to have went after me instead, I doubt we would have had such bad injuries."

[Utaku Nesrin]

"Heh, he's just trying to look impressive, they're not handing out titles. He did help out a lot in the attack though. A couple students ended up getting injured, but they recovered thanks to the efforts of everyone involved."

Nesrin laughs. "Well, yeah. he usually does that...the trying to look impressive and the helping out. I...really wish I'd woken to help. Maybe there'd have been less injury, just being another target."

Looking around she adds, "is that why everyone's getting in some extra practice?"

[Kaito Haruki]

"Trust me, the last thing we needed was more targets. I was able to avoid 12 attacks in a row unscathed yesterday, too bad I couldn't reproduce the same results today. Changing the context of your battle really makes a difference."

[Utaku Nesrin]

That was some tactical thinking to ponder. "That makes a lot of sense. I've been pretty good at avoiding attacks in training, but when there was a real knife involved, it was pretty hard to avoid it. Particularly scrambling around in the dark and all confused from waking up."

"Do you think they'll come back?"

[Kaito Haruki]

"The sensei guaranteed they won't come back while we're here at least."

[Kokyou]

Kokyou just stays there listening. His actions spoke more than his words. Since his words were so intelligent and true he knew people would have a heard time accepting them.

In time. All in due time.