Shintao rock garden (Otosan Uchi/ Toyotomi district)

[Iuchi Prashant]

It's still early morning when a silhouette steps into the small Life's Love Shintao Rock Garden. Hair and robes flow in the morning wind as it advances slowly, one step at a time, slowly revealing the shape of a youngster, a purple shade in his robes, his hands clasped as if meditating as he walked.

The garden, famous among courting couples, was still almost empty at this time -the light shining on the young man's face revealed a silent, placid smile showing that he seemed to enjoy the small pleasure of slowly meandering the paths. One standing leeward could hear the notes of a slow whistled melody mixed with the sound of the wind.

As the boy reaches a particularly calm place, he sits down in the lotus position, takes a small book from his sleeve, opens it in front of him and keeps looking at the page, apparently in a meditative posture - but still whistling the same melody.

[Togashi Dao]

In among the rock garden sits an average sized boy, playing armies with some stick figures, recreating the Battle of the Sleeping River. He looks up at the arrival of the young Unicorn and smiles before one of the red sticks obliterated an opposing squad of zombies.

As his curls are tousled by the wind, he glares in the direction from which it blows and chastises it as his Master of Air succumbs to the fickle air kami for the third time already this morning.

"Oh, now that's not fair, the accounts all say that he survived this battle, now don't you go trying to change that."

[Iuchi Prashant]

When Prash hears a voice, he lifts his head from the book, looking around for its origin, then smiles as he sees the boy playing. He slowly looks again at the book, as if finishing one last sentence, then puts it back inside the robes' left sleeve, calmly stands up, takes a few steps towards the other boy and looks at the state of his 'battlefield'. When he sees his Master of Air down, he squats and picks up the figure, handing it back to Dao with a gentle smile.

"Ohayou gozaimasu! Seems like quite the ferocious battle going on down here! Mustn't be easy weathering such winds when one's one with the wind either, huh?"

He lowers his head in a bow while still squatting. "This is Iuchi Prashant, apprentice Shugenja. Nice to meet you."

[Togashi Dao]

Dao bows as he accepts the return of his soldier. "Ohayo Iuchi-sama, I'm Togashi Dao, and this is the Battle of Sleeping River. Or at least it is supposed to be, if the Master of Air can keep his power under control."

"I guess sometimes too much power can be just as unfortunate as too little." The pudgy child adds as he cocks his head to the side. "Do you live around these parts Iuchi-sama? It's a very pretty part of the city."

In a futile effort to try and appear more respectable, Dao wipes at some of the accumulated dirt and grime from his hakama, but only succeeds in spreading it around even more.

[Asako Saburo]

A third figure came into this place, seeking a moment's quiet in preparation for the journey that was ahead. He had little use for the reputation that the rock garden had with those who desired a moment of peace. He simply wanted solitude and the peace of a rock garden to clear his mind before arriving at the pre-designated point to depart for the dojo.

Seeing the others, he bowed respectfully, though stiffly. His ghostly pallor and golden eyes stared with a sullen gaze that matched the firm set of his lips, though he said nothing at first other than "Good morning, samurai-sans." His voice had a quality like gravel being used to polish rock. Setting himself into a lotus position with a grunt, he breathed in once to relax and start calming his mind. Unknown to him, he was in the company of a pair of fellow travelers to the Ruby Champion's event, but that would perhaps be remedied soon enough.

[Iuchi Prashant]

Prash looks at the stick figure for a moment after Dao speaks before answering.

"Togashi-san", he says, nodding before continuing. "I guess sometimes when you try to brace same with same, all you get is more of the same. Maybe the Master of Air could ride the winds instead of trying to brace them?" he says, smiling down at the boy. After a moment, he speaks again.

"Oh, no, Togashi-san, I have only arrived from the Kaihi province in the Iuchi lands a few days ago. And much as I'd love to make a morning visit to this lovely garden a routine, I'll only be here for a few days, as I'm on my way to Hirosaka."

When he sees the other figure sitting down near them, he lowers his head again to greet him. "Good morning, samurai-san", he says with a smile.

[Togashi Dao]

"Hirosaka?" Dao parrots back, catching the mention of his final destination. "That's where I'm headed too, apparently there's a bunch of wagons of people and supplies and stuff heading there soon and I'm supposed to be on one of them."

Spotting the new arrival, who appears to be about their age, Dao raises his voice a little.

"What about you Samurai-sama, are you headed to Hirosaka too? Would be a big coincidence all three of us going there and bumping into each other here first in such a big town, with soooo many people all around in such a cute little garden as this although there might be lots of people going for this testing thing so maybe not so big of a coincidence..." Dao pauses to take a big breath.

[Asako Saburo]

Saburo visibly winced when the filthy looking Togashi said that. "It would be quite the coincidence, yes." His voice was wooden before he sighed and golden eyes turned to regard the two of them. Hirosaka, wagons, supplies. The age was all about right. They both looked potentially a year or two younger than him. Yes, they were probably. "But it is a public place, and preparing the mind before a journey isn't unheard of I'm told."

No point hiding it if they were going. He'd be stuck with pig-pen over there and the purple-garbed one soon enough if that were the case so introductions were in order. "Asako Saburo. It is an honor to meet both of you." Said with all of the fascination of a frog croaking.

[Iuchi Prashant]

Prashant's eyes as the Asako speaks seem a bit surprised, or maybe confused. He quickly goes back to a gentle smile before speaking again though.

"Oh, this is indeed a fateful coincidence! It is an honour, Asako-san. This one is Iuchi Prashant."

He tilts his head to the side, his eyes shifting to Dao's toys, then back to the Asako. "I completely agree with Asako-san, preparing one's mind before a journey is very important. My sensei greatly emphasized that, as we Iuchi are often the ones helping the Unicorn prepare spiritually before our frequent travels."

He closes his eyes slightly, his smile becoming friendlier before he speaks again. "I believe there are as many ways to prepare as there are paths to be taken, wouldn't you agree, Asako-san, Togashi-san?".

[Togashi Dao]

No point hiding it if they were going. He'd be stuck with pig-pen over there and the purple-garbed one soon enough if that were the case so introductions were in order. "Asako Saburo. It is an honor to meet both of you." Said with all of the fascination of a frog croaking.

"Ohayo Asako-sama. I'm Togashi Dao, student of Sensei Riota at the High House of Light." Dao introduces himself to the fellow mountain dweller before he pockets his makeshift soldiers, feeling a little childish under the scrutiny of the two priests, and nods at Prashant's comment.

"Many paths." He agrees as he fidgets and shifts a few small pebbles with his bare feet. "I guess we all do things slightly differently. I prepare by not preparing." He admitted with a grin. "No battle plan survives contact with the enemy after all."

[Iuchi Prashant]

"Oh", Prashant says, still squatting. "That's an interesting point, Togashi-san!", he completes, his smile broadening. "My studies did not focus on battle tactics much besides some brief mention that strategy and preparation are important", he says, his eyes up in contemplation. "But well... 'Prepare the tea, then leave' were Shinsei's words, weren't they? 'You already know what you need.'" He then looks at them both in turn, smiling again.

[Asako Saburo]

Saburo grunted and nodded towards the Togashi first and then the Iuchi. Well, he may look like he crawled of the dirt, but he's not stupid at least. That's something to remember. "A battle plan never survives the morning of its engagement. Once your opponent shows their tactics, you adapt or become predictable. Predictability is death." It sounded rehearsed, but it also sounded like he sincerely believed it. He'd had a few lessons in his life before coming here, several of them about battle in general. When one sought to emulate a man like Isawa Tsuke, it was important to be aware of the military applications of power.

"I've heard it said that there's many paths along the road a few times, yes. I only know my own." He carried himself with a certain stiffness about his person at all times. His back was ramrod straight and his posture perfect, but in a more or less regimented, military sort of bearing, like the kid of a soldier. "I believe mother informed me that the purpose of this exercise was to broaden the horizon of the chosen to further their studies in a variety of fields. A samurai must be all things in all situations."

[Togashi Dao]

"Asako-sama is wise to know his path already." Dao replied, a little awe obvious in his eyes. "I'm not sure I understand the path that led me here, let alone the one that extends into my future."

He turns to Prashant and nods. "Does Iuchi-sama have a path beyond Hirosaka laid out before him as well?"

[Iuchi Prashant]

Prash nods at Saburo's answer. Predictability is death. A samurai must be all things. That made sense, somehow.

At the same time, what is one's substance if all is change? What is one, if one is everything?

He still had much to learn.

He then turns to Dao. "I will have my duties as a priest for the Unicorn, Togashi-san. Whether following my clansmates to the battlefield, riding with them along the plains, or studying our spiritual ways, I could not know."

He closes his eyes for a while. "What I do know is I must keep seeking the way even after my path has started".

He then smiles again, looking at both in turn. "At any rate, it looks like this shall be a good opportunity to learn about the many different ways and manners in the Empire. Do you expect anything in particular about this experience, Togashi-san, Asako-san?"

[Asako Saburo]

"There is but one path for me. I would like to think it is a matter of wisdom, but to bear the gift of the kami among my kin has but one direction forward." He had been the only one among his siblings with that knack, so studying with an Isawa tutor had been a given. His voice was like a bit of a growl as he spoke, though there was a sort of pervasiveness to it. It was like he was always growling a little bit.

"I expect us to be beaten down like the forge strikes the blade. Burned and melted and reforged until we are refined, or we are broken and cast to the side as tools of little use. I intend to endure and rise stronger from this exercise." Somebody had a very positive outlook on life.

[Togashi Dao]

Dao shrugged his shoulders and cracked his knuckles. "My training so far has been, shorter than most I imagine, my call to the mountains came only three years ago. I expect to make everyone else look good at my expense." He replied honestly.

"And maybe punch some stuff. I'd like to learn a little more about the art of honourable warfare though. It's about the only subject I found that I enjoy to study."

[Iuchi Prashant]

"Oh". Prashant seems visibly surprised by Saburo's answer. "I guess I wouldn't have expected the Phoenix to be so uncompassionate towards their apprentice Shugenja", he says, his eyes wandering in thought. "I mean, for us, even among the Iuchi, the gift to attune to the elements is rare enough that we are as challenged to improve as we are nurtured to make it as sure as possible that this gift won't end up cast aside", he says, his eyes still wandering. "I mean, iron in a ploughshare may not be as tough as the steel in a sword, but a samurai needs rice as much or more than a blade."

He then looks at the Asako again, slowly returning to a gentle smile. "But I guess when one has enough Iron one can hammer it harder in the forge, even if some may be lost in the process..."

He then looks at the Togashi boy, surprised again. "Three years, Togashi-san? I suppose the call to the life as a Togashi monk may come amidst one's initial training for another walk in life, then?"

[Asako Saburo]

In truth? The Iuchi was right to doubt. Even Saburo's own parents weren't remotely this harsh. A lot of this was in Saburo's head, expectations he had for himself, demands that he imposed on himself. In particular, though, the Isawa were ... demanding of their potential shugenja. "To those much is given, much is expected. I can't afford to shirk. I'm late enough to my gempukku as is." He sounded a touch bitter about that, but there were likely reasons. He was certainly a little older than the young monk to be. "But we are the Phoenix. The masters expect only the best out of their students."

A beat later, and he realized how that might have sounded. He growled again. "Not, as my mother would say, that the ways of other priesthoods are without their special gifts. I just know the Isawa are demanding." Another grunt and he glanced at the dirty young man before nodding. "I should think you will have a chance to hit things, and a chance to learn the art of war. It's something we're all expected to be able to do if we will not remain in the courts our entire lives. And even most of them are trained in at least the basics I'm told."

[Iuchi Prashant]

Prash is back to his usual gentleness after the Asako's explanation, and nods to the young Shugenja before answering.

"Hai, Asako-san. The Isawa have quite a reputation to keep, that is true."

He smiles at both before speaking again.

"May this experience help us tread our paths as best we can and make our sensei proud", he says, nodding.

[Togashi Dao]

"Court?" Dao stammered with a trace of dread in his voice. "May Emma-O flay the skin from my bones for all eternity first."

"All those people looking and judging and waiting to pounce on the tiniest mistake? Nope, nope, nope. I hope that's not my path, but I guess we don't get much say in that huh?"