(D9, EE) I'll cut you I will (Open)

Yogo Aya · **Joined:** Sun Apr 05, 2020 12:42 am **Posts:** 719

As much as Aya would have loved to have spent the day being attended to by a man whose blandness hid a burning hot passion, he had duties to attend to. Plus there was still a small part of her worried about whether it was really a good idea to acknowledge it or not. There was so much tragedy in her life, surely the curse was done with her.

But just sitting around led her mind drifting back to the failed mission, and that wasn't enjoyable either.

She'd been to the temple, she was going to go drinking....what else was there to do in this town?

Train?

Well, it at least gave her something to focus on.

She shivered a bit entering the cold dojo.

"Fuck it's cold in here." she commented thinking about the Phoenix who was so upset she'd blasphemed in a Dojo.

She grabbed a practice knife, and went through the motions of a knife fighter in training.

Bayushi Chen · **Joined:** Thu Apr 16, 2020 8:22 pm **Posts:** 229

Training was the imperative of all bushi and today he had a damn lion growling in his ear about what he should do which didnt improve his mood one bit. He figured hacking at a training dummy might help distract from the damn noise a bit.

He entered the dojo and paid proper respects before setting his daisho on a stand and grabbing a practice sword. Turning toward the dummies he noticed he wasnt alone and bowed "Yogo-San, good evening I am glad to see you suffer little I'll effects after our night of indulgence." He said with a little chuckle.

Yogo Aya · **Joined:** Sun Apr 05, 2020 12:42 am **Posts:** 719

Aya grinned a bit.

"I've had more than my share of nights of hard drinking. I even challenged a Crab before we evacuated to Nikesake to a drinking contest. Sadly, the shock of the realization of the sake running out in a long siege there rendered the poor man mute."

She slashed at the air, vanquishing the imaginary Hida Goro.

"But I couldn't have predicted another evacuation. I wonder if we'll have to evacuate from here?"

Bayushi Chen · **Joined:** Thu Apr 16, 2020 8:22 pm **Posts:** 229

"Yogo-San it's not nice to tell such scary stories to crab folk, I know they face down unnatural horrors from the Shadowlands regularly but a town with no sake? A true horror for them."

At her other question he paused "Possibly, I doubt we have the man power here to stop the returned. I'm sure many honorable samurai will stay to fight down to the man to slow them down but others will likely flee and fall back. Though as many might stay to join based on the whispers I'm hearing on the street."

Yogo Aya · **Joined:** Sun Apr 05, 2020 12:42 am **Posts:** 719

Aya smirked a bit at that.

"Fortune for us we're far from home, ne? We can just keeping retreating until we're back on familiar ground." she teases a bit.

Bayushi Chen · **Joined:** Thu Apr 16, 2020 8:22 pm **Posts:** 229

He returned the smirk "It has been sometime since I have had the opportunity to set foot at home. It would be nice getting home but I'm not sure if a murderous army of spirits at my back i how i want to return." He said with a small chuckle.

His expression grew a bit more somber for a moment "I have noticed though that you dont seem to oppose the returned Hantei, at least not publically so."

Yogo Aya · **Joined:** Sun Apr 05, 2020 12:42 am **Posts:** 719

She flicks the practice knife in and out, in the style familiar to street fighters.

"That is true." she said to Chen....surprisingly neutrally. She didn't seem particularly passionate about this stand she had been taking in court.

Bayushi Chen · **Joined:** Thu Apr 16, 2020 8:22 pm **Posts:** 229

"You are aware this goes against not only sense but the orders of those above us right?" He probed a little "You dont seem to lack sense so can you illuminate me on why you've chosen to support his claim? Or rather speak out against our political allies?" His manner didnt seem aggresive but then again most scorpion dont even before they strike.

Yogo Aya · **Joined:** Sun Apr 05, 2020 12:42 am **Posts:** 719

Aya didn't care for Chen's accusations, not one bit.

She smiled at him.

"I thought you only played the fool, Chenbaka. Sure, why don't I explain the whole thing to you. I'll use small words so you can understand.

She reached beneath her robes and took the pearl out of the pouch that was secured to her. She took it out where it gleamed in the light of the Dojo.

"This little pearl is a treasure that the Lion clan brought back from their campaign against the Naga. It spiritually bonds....sorry, that's too big. The pearl likes me and me alone, Chenbaka. It means that I don't puke when I call upon the kami. Well, at least not very often."

She puts it back in it's hiding place.

"Now, some people would think that the Lion would freely hand these out to those who can speak with the kami. You know, so we can actually use the gifts of Heaven for the good of the Empire."

She shakes her head.

"But no, even the Divine is part of the grubby game of favors. So in return for being able to use what Heaven always meant for me to have, the Lion clan has asked me to support the Steel Chrysanthemum's claim publicly."

"Got it?"

Bayushi Chen · **Joined:** Thu Apr 16, 2020 8:22 pm **Posts:** 229

Chen nodded mentally grinding his teeth against her insults his face remained decidedly neutral "I'll ask forgiveness I am not well versed in the matters of spirits. I was actually curious why you were supporting him I am only partially away of these pearls that you speak and was not aware that in order to use them you were at the beck and call of the spirits of the lion."

The clamoring in his head worsened for a moment and now he visibly grit his teeth in frustration "After today I am more aware of how the spirits can affect us." He said with a touch of aggravation.

Yogo Aya · **Joined:** Sun Apr 05, 2020 12:42 am **Posts:** 719

Aya shook her head.

"Ie, ie. Not the spirits of the Lion, Chenbaka. The mortal ones. The ones who arranged for me to have the pearl."

Aya shrugged.

"But that is the only reason. I mean, I personally think it's fuckin' stupid that every samurai seemed to have an opinion on who should be Emperor. And the fact that there are those that look at the man leading a host of battle crazed glowing returned spirits and go, 'Hm, I like what he's about.' Well, it's safe to say you're not the stupidest samurai in the Empire, Chenbaka."

Bayushi Chen · **Joined:** Thu Apr 16, 2020 8:22 pm **Posts:** 229

That caused his head to tilt a bit "it is..I guess not so surprising that some lion would stand behind the returned considering the make up of his host. But they speak out against a lion herself sitting the throne. With a lion bastard if the good Seppun is to be believed."

He regarded her with amusement for a moment "Are you always so insulting? Or just to people that are trying to figure you out?"

Yogo Aya · **Joined:** Sun Apr 05, 2020 12:42 am **Posts:** 719

Aya shrugged a bit.

"Or perhaps they realized that a Yogo is perhaps not a darling of the courts and any support by one for the Steel Chrysanthemum would actually be to his disadvantage, not his advantage. I am not a creature of the courts, I will not pretend that I know their thinking."

The latter half actually brought out a smirk from the Yogo.

"Perhaps I'm just a Paragon of Honesty. Or perhaps I was simply drawn in by your convincing portrayal of a fool when you accused me of disloyalty to the clan. I mean, it would take a real idiot to accuse a wardmaster of such ne? Every time they'd get up to relieve themselves in the middle of the night, they'd need to check that their chamberpot didn't blow their balls off. "

Bayushi Chen · **Joined:** Thu Apr 16, 2020 8:22 pm **Posts:** 229

His smile was there, similar but not the same as it had been the night previous. Now it appeared sadistic, cold, and still slightly amused "Yogo-San I would never accuse you of such a thing or any scorpion for that matter. If I truly thought you werent loyal to the clan, well, we wouldnt be talking about it."

There was a little pause before he chuckled "also if you think checking the chamber pot is bad imagine having to check every piece of food and drink that you didnt prepare yourself. It gets exhausting Yogo-San I promise you that."

Yogo Aya · **Joined:** Sun Apr 05, 2020 12:42 am **Posts:** 719

Aya chuckled.

"Good thing fools don't use poison. They tend to lick the stirring stick." she said.

She shrugged a bit.

"But poisoning food and drink is so old school. Now poisoning people's kimonos and their haircombs....now that's much more interesting."

Bayushi Chen · **Joined:** Thu Apr 16, 2020 8:22 pm **Posts:** 229

Chen shrugged as well "no matter how paranoid or prepared someone is they have to eat or drink eventually. One can leave a comb at home and in extreme cases go without clothes. It's the most suspected place because it's the easiest way to do it. Short of just throwing subtlety to the wind and just shooting them with it." He said grinning.

Shifting his focus to the metal in her hand he nodded to it "Dont see too many shugenja practicing with those."

Yogo Aya · **Joined:** Sun Apr 05, 2020 12:42 am **Posts:** 719

Aya nodded.

"More really should. The sickness gets worse every year, and it's not like the Lion clan has an infinite warehouse filled with Naga treasures. I sometimes wonder if the Empire may being moving away from the elemental kami. Healing magic grows more and more difficult to use as the sickness worsens, but the enemies of the Empire seem little impeded by it. If we cannot find a way to cleanse the sickness, we may have to look for other ways to do things other than by invoking the spirits. Learning more about medicine and herbcraft, for example." she says, her player not meaning to drop a wall of text, but did.

Bayushi Chen · **Joined:** Thu Apr 16, 2020 8:22 pm **Posts:** 229

Chen nodded along "smart." Was all he initially said by way of commentary.

"I myself have never trusted much in the realms of spirit though I suppose I allow some of their influence to aid me when possible." well not exactly spirits but certainly not a power of this world..

"You make a good point though, and if what I hear is true and a sealed scroll remains locked in the realm of slaughter if I understand correctly purging this thing that afflicts our priests and priestesses is rather difficult neh?" He was going off only most broad understanding of these things.

Yogo Aya · **Joined:** Sun Apr 05, 2020 12:42 am **Posts:** 719

Aya resumed her knife kata.

"Impossible is the word I'd really use. Maybe someone can ask the elemental council of master.s You know, once they have one of those again." she offers.

Bayushi Chen · **Joined:** Thu Apr 16, 2020 8:22 pm **Posts:** 229

He nodded "makes me glad I spent my life perfecting a craft that has few outside influences." He said pulling up to the training dummy next to her.

"I'm no knife fighter but if you ever want to learn more about the sword or bow I can teach....ok" he said wobbling his hand back and forth.

(D9, EE) I'll cut you I will (Open)

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