The Day of Thunder

Sora had awoken rested, rejuvenated, and keenly aware that he was probably going to have a lot of meetings or at least messengers to cope with that day.

But he felt he owed it to Lady Doji to deliver her message- and the fact that he'd been able to get her message- to her daughter.

And so he had risen, dressed, banged off a quick prayer to Fukurokujin to not let him screw anything up too badly, and and gone looking for Nanzi Ai.

Ai had slept well as well, and was now in the garden practicing her stance and sword work.

Sora waited, letting the younger samurai complete another form before clearing his throat.

"Good morning, Nanzi-san. I hope you will pardon the interruption, but I have... news. Relevant to you."

She turned and bowed deeply and then said, “Good morning, Jiyo-sama, it is a pleasure to see you.”

“Did you sleep well?”

"Better than should have been possible, Nanzi-san. I... controlled my dreams."

A pause.

"Something I didn't know was possible, and I'm not sure how I did it, but... it."

He looked around. No bystanders, no one to eavesdrop.

"Pardon me. This will... I've never been the best with manners, and there's no real... I saw your mother. I don't mean I dreamed of her, I mean... she was there."

"You saw my mother? My Honored Mother?" she said with surprise. That was actually a relief and she added, "That's... wow... I apologize if I am bit overwhelmed by such a revelation."

"There is a reason I'm telling you this in relative privacy, Nanzi-san. It is... she was..."

A deep breath.

"I don't know how much of it was my dream being a pleasant one, but she looked very much like herself. Apparently, something in what I did allowed her a moment's respite, which... well."

He swallowed.

"She has more than earned, a thousandfold. But the news is not all.... as might be hoped for."

Ai nodded and then said, “What was her message…” She braced herself for the reply.

"Firstly, the reason I am telling you this is that she uncertain she will ever be able to escape Yume-Do. I did not press her for specifics on this point, because her time was precious. And in fact, something alarmed her, causing her to depart sooner than she had planned."

His tone was as normal and polite as he could make it.

"Therefore, she asked me to bear you a message, in case you never got a chance to hear it from her directly."

He took a deep breath, and when he spoke, it was painfully clear that he was trying his hardest to match not only the words, but cadence of Doji's speech.

"She said, 'tell Ai that I am very proud of the woman that she has become.' She mentioned that you had had an argument, and followed with, 'She has the fortitude to stand up to her own mother and a god. How can I not be proud?'"

He bowed low, and may have been making some effort to maintain his composure.

"If you wish to be alone with this information, I will take my leave now, Nanzi-san."

There was the slightest of cracks to her countenance at the news, the fact she may not return to Ningen-do was like a tetsubo to the gut but she bore it with as much grace as she could muster. She felt her knees almost buckle but sheer well kept her standing. Then came the words that she was proud of her despite the way they had last parted… and strangely enough… Ai could not recall why they had even quarreled in that moment… it seemed so important at the time and now she could not fathom the reason for it. Just that ill words were exchanged, and still her mother was proud.

Those words had cut her like the keenest katana, stabbed right into her heart.

She was stony faced as a samurai should be and she finally found words and said, “My Honored Mother fights for us all with all her strength, I can do no less in the here and now. Apologies Jiyo-sama, I should attend to my morning ministrations and prayers.”

“Thank you for this gift. If I could ask for a small favor in return, to keep this between us, I will share it with the others soon, but I would like a moment to… contemplate the moment.”

She was holding it together, but barely.

OOC: Holding her Composure Etiquette TN 30 plus Honor | 6k3+8 ⇒ 30 (TN: 30)

He bowed again, formally.

"Her message was for you, Nanzi-san. Having delivered it, it is not my place to speak of it to any other."

With that, he turned on his heel and strode away.

And if he felt a pang that she had no family here to share the news with, well, he also knew that there was nothing more he could do.

Giving her some space was the best that could be done.

[/Exit ]

Once out of sight she unleashed her tears with fury.

/scene