The New Winds

There was no question that Jiro was a creature of position, born to power. As a result, his training so far had rather lent itself to preserving that power. He was, in essence, a defensive courtier, with a sting or two hidden up his sleeves. There was, however, still a significant chink in his armor. For all of the ease with which he wielded language and wore his on, he had yet to develop the ability to truly see others. Fortunately, there was a sensei here whose family had built their reputation on such matters. So, at the appointed time and place, Bayushi Jiro sat by himself in the precise center of an empty room and waited, eyes fixed upon the doorway.

"Hello, Bayushi-san. You wish to see the world with more than just your eyes, no?"

It was the hour of the Rooster. The same hour that they had practiced their impromptu tea ceremony the day before. Nobuko had eaten and hoped to find Jiro again before taking her bath to have a look at Kakita Uso's writing. The Bayushi had seemed amenable to practicing with her again, but no firm plans had been made.

Instead of finding him eating, she could not find him at all. Well, not in the places she would have expected.

It took a bit of time, searching through the halls and many empty rooms before she opened the door of one to find her quarry... and a teacher.

Surprised, she immediately bowed and apologized for the intrusion, "Sensei, my apologies. I had been looking for my Kohai, Bayushi-san, and did not realize he was in a private lesson. If it would be alright, might I know when I can return to speak with him?"


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OOC: would like to join thread for investigation training, but also have to be a proper samurai-in-training
D2 Rooster: Etiquette/Aware: 3d10o10k2 18

"There is no apology needed, Otomo-san. And since fate has brought you here, perhaps you too wish to see the world more for what it is?"

"Ah... of course, Sensei!" Nobuko answered, surprised at the invitation, but not about to say no when it could gain her valuable insight and help her in the tasks to come.

She stepped into the room and shut the door, then moved to sit next to Jiro, folding her legs under her to sit as a proper court lady should. She turned her head to Jiro and offered him a bow, "Kokai-san. It is good to find you, I hope that you, too, are alright with my joining you once more?"

Jiro had been halfway to a response when Nobuko had arrived, instead, he let his eyes drift in her direction and took in her speech.

"I am not opposed to it, kohai-san." Jiro's tone was distant, but his bow suggested sincerity. "You are pleasant company."

Then his eyes flicked back to their sensei.

"To answer your question, Kitsuki-sensei, I do wish to hear what the world does not wish to me see. I dislike surprises, you see."

"Good, an inquisitive and open mind are needed. Much to often samurai only see that which is obvious and take words to heart. To truly see the world, one must look beyond the veils it presents to them."

Jiro inclined his head. "While allowing the veil to remain in place. Hai, Sensei. I have observed the danger of tearing aside a veil openly, as the embarrassed or unscrupulous often grasp at another deception to cover the first. But to see through a veil while one's opponent believes that it is intact seems to be a key component of effective service."

"It is shameful that many choose to employ such tactics, but it is as Kohai-san says," she nodded in agreement, "for if we are not able to see through the veil, we can bring shame upon ourselves for having allowed ourselves to be fooled."

"Indeed. To practice your senses, first I would have you two conduct a game. One of you is the speaker, the other the listener. The speaker shall tell two truths and one lie, and the listener must deduce which is what."

The teacher wanted them to lie? Nobuku looked taken aback by the request before she could school her expression, though a slight frown still creased her brow as she shifted her position to sit facing Jiro. She supposed that... as a game... meant for training purposes... lying was more akin to acting than it was a dishonorable action. And it wasn't like one could not lie when needed to protect the honor of one's family and clan. It was simply not something that she, personally, tended to engage in.

She took a deep breath and smiled at Jiro, "Shall I take the part of speaker first, Kohai-san?"

Jiro simply bowed his head to the sensei, as though a superior asking him to lie was the most natural thing in the world. Then again...it probably was.

"By all means. When you are ready."

She took a moment to consider what she was going to say before putting on a more pleasant expression. When she spoke, she lifted a finger as she started each item.

"Ah, Kohai-san, I say to you these three things:
Yesterday, I spoke with our Kohai, Asako Saburo-san, and he told me his dream was to prove himself as a Sumai. 17
This morning, Otaku Oichi-sensei taught me a physical wellness routine. Our Kohai, Doji Sakura-San, joined us. 13
This afternoon, it took me eight throws of a stone to break a pot before I could leave the obstacle course." 6

She laid her hand back in her lap, "Which of the three is a lie?"

Jiro considered for a moment. "I haven't the skill to see through Otomo-san's powerful proficiency in the ways of sincerity, Kitsuki-sensei. If pressed to guess, I would think that Asako Saburo was unlikely to wish to be a sumai because it would require close physical contact with another sumai, if only briefly."

He bowed. "But even if that is the deception, it is not a reflection of my perception, but rather of my memory. I apologize for the base nature of my abilities."

Unskilled Investigation rolls. 3, 5, 4

"Indeed, you are correct, Kohai-san," she beamed, not trying to school her expression this time, and gave a polite clap. "While it is true that Asako-san did not admit to wanting to be a Sumai, I saw him training in the art with others on my way to meet with Utaku-Sensei. He was doing admirably from what little knowledge I have of the art."

She gave a soft laugh, lifting a hand to cover her mouth, "I do not know the truth of your words in regard to his preferences for being so close to another in such a situation, but he was certainly 'schooling' - as they say - his fellow Asako in the ring. I cannot bring myself to lie, it was very entertaining considering his size and weight in comparison to some."

"While you do not possess the skill perhaps to see through lies, your perception is an equally important tool. When looking through the veil, there is more that just intuition and feeling. One must consider all things. You did well with your guess, Bayushi-san. Do not discredit yourself. Now, it is your turn to tell two truths and a lie."

Jiro nodded once. "Hai, Kitsuki-sensei." He then turned to Nobuko and fired off three statements. Perhaps predictably for Jiro, they were all about himself.

"My brother is half an hour older than me. I detest Crab-style tempura. I am a direct descendant of Bayushi-kami." He bowed formally at the end, mostly as punctuation.

Sincerity 1=10
Sincerity (deceit ) roll=10
Sincerity 2=7

Nobuko found that even when faced with knowing that any of the three statements had a possibility of a lie, she was unable to discern which was true and which was not. Her shoulders slumped and she sighed, "I simply do not know you well enough to even guess at which is a lie, Kohai-san. I, too, have no true understanding of how to see beyond the veil even knowing it is there."

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OOC
D2 Rooster: Investigation/Perception: 1d10 7
D2 Rooster: Investigation/Perception: 1d10 2
D2 Rooster: Investigation/Perception: 1d10 4

"I sympathize, kohai-san." His face radiated it. "And I love tempura. The Crab fondness for cooking at exceedingly high temperatures can produce marvelous results."

"Let us modify the exercise. One truth, one lie. The observer can ask one question, and use that to deduce the truth"