The Arrow Knows the Way

[Iuchi Prashant]

Prash nods at the sensei's comments as well, and does his best to keep focused and steady. He clearly doesn't do as well as the two bushi, but seems intent on improving.

He answers Nesrin's comment with an excited smile: "Well it may be possible to ask the air kami to guide arrows to a target! I remember one of my sensei doing something similar once!"

He then shrugs before taking another shot that goes wide of the target. "But I know I cannot do that, not yet at least! And besides... we shouldn't rely on the kami too much... Especially for things we could learn to do on our own!"

(Ally already spent in another skill. Plan to get Kyujutsu with XP later!)

[Utaku Nesrin]

"My cousin Miki said something like that after she started training with the Iuchi too." Nesrin chuckles "Went from being really excited about being able to learn how to make the hills move to becoming quite pious about not bothering the poor hills if you didn't really need to."

An itch at the wrong moment across a shoulder blade sends an arrow skimming along the grass. "whoops."

"Which dojo have you been training at Utaku-san? They'll continue instruction with the bow, I assume."

[Utaku Ichiro]

A nod, "I've been training with Moto Kaigal-ool. My fellow students are likely training with such even now. That's why I don't want to fall behind."

[Utaku Nesrin]

"That makes sense. Guessing you train with the Moto so as to ride?" Her family's horses were notoriously particular about their riders.

She huffs a small sigh. "Not much I can do about missing small group tactics drills and scouting training. Do you think they'll do some lessons on scouting in cities? That would make up for it...something my classmates won't be doing."

[Iuchi Prashant]

"My cousin Miki said something like that after she started training with the Iuchi too." Nesrin chuckles "Went from being really excited about being able to learn how to make the hills move to becoming quite pious about not bothering the poor hills if you didn't really need to."

The boy takes another shot, and hits the outer part of the target this time.

"Yeah... It's something we're taught too." He draws the bow again. "I guess our sensei wouldn't like us becoming lazy and letting the spirits do all the work for us too, ne?", he says, laughing a bit.

[Utaku Ichiro]

"Exactly." Though he did not put the blame so much on the horses themselves, "I respect our stablemasters and they duty they provide. But I can ride and fight as well as anyone else my age, better than many, and I'm not going to let that go to waste sitting in the stables."

[Utaku Nesrin]

"Yeah... It's something we're taught too." He draws the bow again. "I guess our sensei wouldn't like us becoming lazy and letting the spirits do all the work for us too, ne?", he says, laughing a bit.

"Ahhh, so it's for your own moral development, and not to avoid overworking the spirits?" She trots out to retrieve everyone's arrows, dropping them into the rack to be taken as needed. "I guess that's an important part of training too."

"Exactly." Though he did not put the blame so much on the horses themselves, "I respect our stablemasters and they duty they provide. But I can ride and fight as well as anyone else my age, better than many, and I'm not going to let that go to waste sitting in the stables."

"Well there's the infantry for fighting, but I'd probably do the same in your boots. What's your horse like?"

[Iuchi Prashant]

"Ahhh, so it's for your own moral development, and not to avoid overworking the spirits?" She trots out to retrieve everyone's arrows, dropping them into the rack to be taken as needed. "I guess that's an important part of training too."

"It's... both, I guess!" He takes another shot, which goes wide. "I guess you could say it's out of respect for both the spirits, one's mind and one's body", he says, smiling as he tries to get ready for another shot, now clearly getting a bit tired.

[Utaku Ichiro]

Ichiro's chest swells a little, "Kaze, foal of Yahata. He is young yet but swift and strong. He will be a mighty stallion indeed." There were scandalous rumors that Yahata might have had Utaku blood but surely they were only that... but it had made her child a fitting gift for Ichiro.

[Utaku Nesrin]

"It's... both, I guess!" He takes another shot, which goes wide. "I guess you could say it's out of respect for both the spirits, one's mind and one's body", he says, smiling as he tries to get ready for another shot, now clearly getting a bit tired.

"So's this if you treat is that way, I'd guess. Definitely mind and body though." She stretches, feeling the pull in muscles used well and a bit more than usual.

She nods at Ichiro's description of his horse. "A good name for speed as he grows. Tabudai is six summers and red as the dust of the Autumn Hills." She knows nothing of the scandal of Kaze's lineage. Training had taken too much time these past few years to hang out and gossip with her agemates among those destined to be stablemasters. No doubt they would have heard such a juicy rumor.

Looking at the sun, she begins unstringing her bow...carefully.