[D7, EE] The Taste of loss

[Kakita Kenji]

"... Ii'm thiinking about goiing on Musha Shugyo after the ceremony, to see annd to leaarn things." he said "and too maybe getting wiser"

[Kaiu Aiichiro]

"Are you sure you would be able to survive it?" He asks. One of the heimin returns with the bucket of water and a cup.

[Kakita Kenji]

"...No, i'm not,... but,.. i neeed to provve myself" He replied. "What'sss the bucket for?"

[Kaiu Aiichiro]

"Don't decide things whilst you are drunk. The bucket is to give you water to drink."

[Kakita Kenji]

For some time Kenji just sat there drinking water in a cup from a bucket. After like half an hour he began speaking again.

"You think i'm a fool, aren't you?" he said not waiting for an answer before continuing. "Everything in the Crane is about appearances, how you present yourself, how others view you and so on.... Me failing through every test leaves my with,... a really bad reputation, that's why i want to disapear for a while" he said to Aiichiro.

[Kaiu Aiichiro]

"My clan believes on the opposite, that it's better to show yourself as weak than appear to be strong. Do you remember what you told me before? That your sensei in the dojo told you that we were just brutes? We also have a saying on cranes like that."
He goes quiet. He was going in a wrong direction that also was not helping.
"So you can't live by what your clan preaches?"

[Kakita Kenji]

"That's not it,.... i just need time, to think,.... i killed 6 people today Aiichiro" he said grunting.
He opend his Gi to reveal a bandaged Chest, wich had a bloodstain on it.
"Something is off with these Ronin here."

[Kaiu Aiichiro]

"I would say that it found me surprised that this town is more violent than the Black Crane States, really." He says, looking down at the wound. "Even if you failed presentations you are still good with the sword?"

[Kakita Kenji]

"It's all fault to the runner up from last year, Bayushi Sugai, i belive he wanted revenge for not being Topaz Champion. He changed the Katana Kakita Riku-san used in her duel against Hitoshi, we followed them and faced like 20 Ronin. I think i would be dead if Iuchi Prashant-san hadn't blessed me with the strenght of the fire Kami"

[Kaiu Aiichiro]

"That was cruel of his." He says, taking the cup and now getting water from the bucket himself by pouring it. "And probably very illegal. Is Hitoshi-san all okay? I knew everyone was against that Mantis, but trying to kill him? That's very low. Let's see if he will gempukku now."
Not needing any more water, he grabs the tip of a nearby blanket and dips it into the bucket.

[Kakita Kenji]

"He lives, but still, this whole discords began with such pettiness..." he shook his head.

[Kaiu Aiichiro]

He twisted the piece of cloth and handed it over to Kenji. "To clean yourself if you would like so. I don't know if you sweat in epilepsy."

[Kakita Kenji]

"Thank you," he took the cloth and cleaned his face a bit. After he was done he got up, a bit. After he finished, he stood up, closed his GI and knotted his Obi again. "I think we should get going"

[Kaiu Aiichiro]

"We should." He nods, standing up. "You can take the remaining of the sake." He says to the children. He expected them not to drink it, but that was their choice now. The oldest of them was old enough to have some sense.

[Kakita Kenji]

"And take this, for the inconvienience" Kenji gave each of the kids 3 Zeni.
He left the peasant home, waiting for Aiichiro.

[Kaiu Aiichiro]

The sake was already enough on his mind, but he shrugged and followed Kenji outside.

[Kakita Kenji]

Outside Kenji gave Aiichiro a proper bow: "Thanks for putting up with me." he said.

[Kaiu Aiichiro]

He bows back. "You recovered fast. Are you sure you are really well?"

[Kakita Kenji]

"I'm living with,... this condition all my live, but i have to admit, the,... attacks have been rarer. I can deal with it, most of the time"

[Kaiu Aiichiro]

"I would counsel you to try to debauch less in sake as you can. Not only those things develop into vices, and I don't know how to say that otherwise, but you look like a tragedy when drunk."