Where Ichiros go play

[Kaiu Aiichiro]

He took the meal in a bow. It was simple, way more like how things were in Shiro Kaiu than in the Imperial cities. It felt familiar, and it felt perfect. A tad bit tired and almost all tables full, he looked around for somewhere to sit — there were people sitting at trees and... a roof?... even. Then he found a place quite hard to find, quite detached, and only with one person on it. Seemed right. Aiichiro approached and sat down.
"Nice lizard." He said, looking to the little thing.

[Moto Ichiro]

Ichiro was sitting alone to take his meal as he often did. He had indeed smuggled Zurui out from his room to enjoy the lunch break. He took small bits of food and passed it up to his little companion.

At the approach of the crab boy he looked up a little disinterested and made a grunt of agreement. When the other boy sat down ichiro raised an eyebrow but made no move to comment on it.

[Kaiu Aiichiro]

Ah. More familiarities. Just like the Hida bushi in the last week of their service season. He raised an eyebrow back and started to pick on his food without looking at the bow.

[Moto Ichiro]

"With all these people around, it seems you could find someone looking for company rather than approaching the one who is obviously avoiding it." he said without looking up from his food.

[Kaiu Aiichiro]

"I'm getting to know everyone. And this place is crowded. Your name?" He asked, analyzing the Moto. Unicorn for sure, a gruff one.

[Moto Ichiro]

"Ichiro." He said after a small pause "Moto Ichiro." The way he said it made it seem like the name left a bad taste in his mouth. Hell of a thing to dislike your own name that much. "And what use is getting to know everyone? We are here for a week or two competing and then we go back home, see you again at the topaz and then likely never again."

[Kaiu Aiichiro]

"Kaiu Aiichiro. Pleased to meet. My reason is that I find the company of others to be enjoyable and soothing, and I ought to make my stay as comfortable as possible. If everything was taken by this logic, I should not speak, as my words would one day be forgotten. And sharing knowledge and insight about a topic only improve the minds of both sides." His voice was calm, but not devoid of emotion.
"What do you think on this matter?" He put a crumb of rice in front of the lizard.

[Yasuki Rini]

Rini wasn't sure exactly where to go, but as she scanned around she saw someone distinctly Crabby. Upon quick further inspection, it seemed that they were a Kaiu as well, all of the slight comforts of being around a fellow crab without the intensity of some of the other crab families; in her experience Kaiu were of a more quiet, focused sort. She approached quietly and bowed to each of them, though something about the Moto was a bit off-putting, perhaps just the bit of tone she heard as she walked up. She didn't want to interrupt though, so sat down with her food.

[Moto Ichiro]

"Kaiu Aiichiro. Pleased to meet. My reason is that I find the company of others to be enjoyable and soothing, and I ought to make my stay as comfortable as possible. If everything was taken by this logic, I should not speak, as my words would one day be forgotten. And sharing knowledge and insight about a topic only improve the minds of both sides." His voice was calm, but not devoid of emotion.
"What do you think on this matter?" He put a crumb of rice in front of the lizard.

Ichiro scoffed a little "You'll find few that say my company is either soothing or enjoyable." his eyes saw the rice offering to Zurui and perhaps his features softened slightly but only just. "The rest of what you said sounds like something a Togashi would say after sitting under a waterfall for a few hours and makes about as much sense."

Rini wasn't sure exactly where to go, but as she scanned around she saw someone distinctly Crabby. Upon quick further inspection, it seemed that they were a Kaiu as well, all of the slight comforts of being around a fellow crab without the intensity of some of the other crab families; in her experience Kaiu were of a more quiet, focused sort. She approached quietly and bowed to each of them, though something about the Moto was a bit off-putting, perhaps just the bit of tone she heard as she walked up. She didn't want to interrupt though, so sat down with her food.

great another one he thought to himself in exasperation did I wear my furs that said hey come sit with me I obviously want lots of company The Moto looked to the new arrival but did not say much, though his eyes lingered a bit more than they had on the Kaiu when he joined.

[Kaiu Aiichiro]

The Unicorn were direct, he heard, and tried not to look offended, but rather being as blunt. "Basically I just try to have fun at the moment and talk to other people to learn from them." Hopefully his face was saved by the other Crab coming together. Be bowed his head and moved to give her space. "Hello! I am Kaiu Aiichiro, he is Moto Ichiro. What's your name? Didn't see you before. Can only want as much when you do not wake up until they poke you with sticks, though."

[Yasuki Rini]

"Yasuki Rini." she said, without very much intonation. Her occasional propensity for few words might come as a relief to the Moto that certainly didn't ask for company, though perhaps might come as a disappointment to the other crab looking for conversation. There was a bit of a pause, a lingering silence, just long enough to hang in the air.

"How has your training been so far..? This morning seemed... alright." she was perhaps a bit disappointed at how the training went. She didn't know what exactly to expect, obviously there were many more aspiring samurai just like her from all different clans, and many at least at first glance seemed far more capable than she felt going through the motions.

[Moto Ichiro]

The Unicorn were direct, he heard, and tried not to look offended, but rather being as blunt. "Basically I just try to have fun at the moment and talk to other people to learn from them." Hopefully his face was saved by the other Crab coming together. Be bowed his head and moved to give her space. "Hello! I am Kaiu Aiichiro, he is Moto Ichiro. What's your name? Didn't see you before. Can only want as much when you do not wake up until they poke you with sticks, though."

Ichiro sighed inwardly this one seemed to shift based on who they talked to, not terrible just came across as fake. "I can introduce myself if I need to." He said brusquely but there was no heat or venom in the words.

"How has your training been so far..? This morning seemed... alright." she was perhaps a bit disappointed at how the training went. She didn't know what exactly to expect, obviously there were many more aspiring samurai just like her from all different clans, and many at least at first glance seemed far more capable than she felt going through the motions.

"So far training hasn't happened yet. They just want to see what we know." His tone was irritated but that was directed more at himself than the others. He hadn't done the worst but he certainly wasn't where he wanted to be.

[Kaiu Aiichiro]

"I done pretty well. If they choose the questions randomly, then I got lucky. Mines were about the Crab Clan, the Empire tactics and the military techniques of the other clans that are known. Last ones were tricky because they talked about superstitions but I did pretty well on them too." He noticed that he would have to carry the conversation forwards, the two being how they were. He allowed some time of silence before talking. "I did not expect there to be two Yasukis. There are no other Kaiu that I know of. Do you know other Moto?"

[Yasuki Rini]

"Everything is probably training, Moto-san." Rini said plainly, looking down for a moment to eat a bit of food, letting it hang in the air. "Everything we do... our routine and schedule every day, how we react to such high expectations, it's all just... training." she said with a small nod, and taking a bite again. "Setting the expectations high to see how we deal with failure seems like something they'd do.." she mutters, almost more to herself than anything.

"There's another Yasuki here..?"

[Moto Ichiro]

"I done pretty well. If they choose the questions randomly, then I got lucky. Mines were about the Crab Clan, the Empire tactics and the military techniques of the other clans that are known. Last ones were tricky because they talked about superstitions but I did pretty well on them too." He noticed that he would have to carry the conversation forwards, the two being how they were. He allowed some time of silence before talking. "I did not expect there to be two Yasukis. There are no other Kaiu that I know of. Do you know other Moto?"

Ichiro shook his head "So far as I know I'm the only one that was granted the....honor of being....invited to come here. There are other unicorn, basically one from each family except they sent 2 Utaku rather than a Shinjo."

"Everything is probably training, Moto-san." Rini said plainly, looking down for a moment to eat a bit of food, letting it hang in the air. "Everything we do... our routine and schedule every day, how we react to such high expectations, it's all just... training." she said with a small nod, and taking a bite again. "Setting the expectations high to see how we deal with failure seems like something they'd do.." she mutters, almost more to herself than anything.

Ichiro shakes his head "Thats something people tell themselves to be more comfortable with failure. Standards are set where they are because we are expected to be the best. If we fail its because we are not good enough." He said with a certainty.

[Kaiu Aiichiro]

"Yes. My friend Ginkarasu-san. You can find him selling mochi somewhere. Maybe he is selling mochi now instead of eating. Wouldn't doubt it. You look quiet for a Yasuki, though, Ginkarasu-san is very talkative. I also don't think they asked impossible things out of us, but for sure they asked hard ones. I don't know anything about the Unicorn besides the Dark Moto and basic cavalry tactics. Are the Dark Moto still considered Unicorn, though?"

[Yasuki Rini]

"Good enough at what, Moto-san? Yelling the right way when they strike...? Going through unarmed kata? Have you seen an oni run away because a samurai yelled at it, or seen one beaten to death with someone's fists? Expectations and kata in a dojo are all well and good until I'm on a wall keeping monsters at bay, so maybe 'everything is a part of training' is what I'm telling myself so this all doesn't feel like a waste of time." Something seems to have struck a nerve; it was certainly the most she had spoken thus far.

She looked back at the Kaiu, taking a moment to breath in and slowly exhale before muttering, "Interesting, I'll have to meet him..."

[Moto Ichiro]

"Yes. My friend Ginkarasu-san. You can find him selling mochi somewhere. Maybe he is selling mochi now instead of eating. Wouldn't doubt it. You look quiet for a Yasuki, though, Ginkarasu-san is very talkative. I also don't think they asked impossible things out of us, but for sure they asked hard ones. I don't know anything about the Unicorn besides the Dark Moto and basic cavalry tactics. Are the Dark Moto still considered Unicorn, though?"

Ichiro's hands tightened and his knuckles grew white "The Dark Moto are a fallen disgrace and even mentioning them connected to our clan is an insult." His tone was cold and it took a couple seconds to calm down taking a deep breath and listening to the Yasuki speak.

"Good enough at what, Moto-san? Yelling the right way when they strike...? Going through unarmed kata? Have you seen an oni run away because a samurai yelled at it, or seen one beaten to death with someone's fists? Expectations and kata in a dojo are all well and good until I'm on a wall keeping monsters at bay, so maybe 'everything is a part of training' is what I'm telling myself so this all doesn't feel like a waste of time." Something seems to have struck a nerve; it was certainly the most she had spoken thus far.

He actually grinned, it wasnt the first time someone had taken issue with his blunt opinions "Well there is some fire there, interesting." He said before a short chuckle "I myself do think this is a waste of time and I didn't ask to be here but if I am here I'm going to try and be the best."

"As for your examples I have heard tales of a Hida school that learned to kill creatures with their bare hands, seems smart. And besides being a warrior is more than just learning to kill things, any ashigaru can kill things, we are meant to be more."

[Kaiu Aiichiro]

"I see. I didn't knew. I am sorry, Moto-san." He replied, putting chopsticks aside for a while whilst picking them up again and bowing his head slightly.
"For the discussion that has been rolling on... Well, they do say Kisada-no-kimi killed once an... Creature... With his hands, ripping it off, but Kisada-sama being Kisada-sama it could as well be simply gossip. And although samurai training is not merely to kill, our Clan deploy ashigaru with the certainty that they will be killed straightforward in the worst battle, and they are not the ones who stand watch, or weeks, or go into excursions, beyond the Wall, not the ones who carry jade to protect themselves, not the ones trained to return from a battle, not the ones who run to attract creatures out off others, not the ones trained in making decisions and sacrifice in a heartbeat, not the ones trained to recognize if they are tainted, not the ones who have to go into the Shadowlands and return with the head of an enemy, and certainly not the ones who know the tunnels on the top of their heads. A samurai who fights at the wall is not merely any warrior, indeed. Yet shouting and Jiu-jitsu probably don't fit your training, Yasuki-san."
By her words and physical appearance suggested she was probably trained as a Hiruma Scout. "But the emphasis of the place is being teached things we probably won't need for what we expect of our duties because any samurai should know them, and merely because of that. Those skills can be useful, too. Don't people like to do sumo at festivals although they don't use their bare hands against their enemies?"