The Day of Thunder

[Nanzi Ai]

Once finished with her meal she began to play her shamisen and listen, it felt good to keep her hands busy.

[Wu Zhe]

''Aight' so one of your eldest is getting married. Well...congratulations! Is she the first of your children to do so?''

[Jiyo Sora]

"Yep."

He chuckled.

"I think her twin sister had a hand in ushering it in, but I've learned not to pry. Funny thing is, I thought it'd make me feel older, but quite the reverse. I might have to embarrass her with an old Hikaru tribal dance at the party. Kinda my last chance to torture her like that..."

[Wu Zhe]

A grin crept on the edges of the dragon mouth

"The seeds of the future are buried in the past, Jiyo-sama" he said in his best monk intonation

"It would be a loss...nay...it would be a failure of one's duty to not have her experience her cultural heritage!"

[Jiyo Sora]

"Exactly! And since she's a better dancer than I am, well, naturally, I'll ask her to show it in a better light..."

[Wu Zhe]

"Of course! A wedding is a celebration of the groom and bride so it is only proper to have your daughter take center stage with the dance"

[Nanzi Ai]

Listening to the two talk only reinforced the differences between the lesser tribes and the Clans; she was a little puzzled by the need to embarrass his kin but that was his right as their father she suspected. Maybe it was endearing… she thought back to Crane gatherings and smirked that such antics would be seen as gauche and untoward.

Making a scene was the last thing anyone wanted to, clockwork precision and aesthetic artistry was the ideal. Father and Mother were very particular on that matter, though Father was often laxer in military settings away from Court or more apt, Mother’s discerning eye.

When her eyes were opened, the final thought troubling her.

[Kichi]

Kichi finds himself sitting back and listening, smiling a little as he listens to them talk about Sora's daughter's future.

[Ukyou]

Ukyou bumps into his shoulder gently. "There are rafters."

[Kichi]

Kichi actually laughs at that. "Not a great idea. I appreciate the thought, though."

[Nanzi Ai]

She observed the monks quizzically but pleasant smile. She didn't understand the reference but their antics were entertaining enough, they were definitely old friends of a sort.

[Kichi]

She observed the monks quizzically but pleasant smile. She didn't understand the reference but their antics were entertaining enough, they were definitely old friends of a sort.

One of them looked toward her. "How is your family doing, Nanzi-sama?"

[Nanzi Ai]

One of them looked toward her. "How is your family doing, Nanzi-sama?"

“Well when I last saw them, Mother was resting, and my eldest sister was seeing to the day to day duties of running the family. I stayed with my sister, Anazihime and her ridiculously cute boy, Hajime. I spent my days doting after him, he has limitless energy for everything. I am saddened for his late father, but both my sister and nephew have the full support of our family. Father is enamored with his grandson, I think he always wanted a boy but all he got was an army of women,” she said smiling.

“Life goes ever on, I pray I see them again when all is said and done.”

[Kichi]

“Well when I last saw them, Mother was resting, and my eldest sister was seeing to the day to day duties of running the family. I stayed with my sister, Anazihime and her ridiculously cute boy, Hajime. I spent my days doting after him, he has limitless energy for everything. I am saddened for his late father, but both my sister and nephew have the full support of our family. Father is enamored with his grandson, I think he always wanted a boy but all he got was an army of women,” she said smiling.

“Life goes ever on, I pray I see them again when all is said and done.”

"I'm glad to hear that they're receiving so much support. A loss in the family is a trying time," he said with a nod, seeming content. "I once had a family, and prayed the same. I have reached the point in my journey, though, where I recognize that my desires and my family's needs do not coincide. I will be content if my actions contribute to making a better world for them to live in."

"It's a challenge for many to learn how to care about something without expectations or possession of it."

[Nanzi Ai]

"What does your family think of your choice to pursue monasticism?" she asked, "Surely those that cared for you still care for you and miss you."

[Wu Zhe]

Ukyou bumps into his shoulder gently. "There are rafters."

Rafters? Zhe was confused by the mention but recalled that some people associated shinseism with the crow mon due to the monk's crow companion.

He had to stop himself from laughing at the image conjured in his head: the rafters of an unknown house crowned with crows, spiders, bats, a dragon on top of the roof and, of course, very pissed-off crabs hanging on for their dear lives wondering what the fuck they where doing there.

The north of the Empire in a nutshell

[Kichi]

"What does your family think of your choice to pursue monasticism?" she asked, "Surely those that cared for you still care for you and miss you."

"Truthfully, I don't know. They are largely unaware of it. My exit was... dramatic, and I became a monk later, after I understood the true weight of what I had lost," he replied. A pause and then a shrug. "The person I was is dead, which I suspect would suit them just fine."

[Nanzi Ai]

She listened and then nodded and continued playing.

[Jiyo Sora]

"Something to be said for a new start. Mine's given me a much more rewarding existence."

[Wu Zhe]

''I too understand second chances. If I had ale I would gladly drink to that'' he said with a nod