The Day of Thunder

[Nanzi Ai]

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

Ai quipped, "But do all things deserve a second start?"

"Bah, I suppose we all deserve a moment to try again if one's failure is not all consuming..."

[Jiyo Sora]

"Bah, I suppose we all deserve a moment to try again if one's failure is not all consuming..."

"Failure's a good teacher."

[Wu Zhe]

He agreed

''Getting back up takes courage''

[Nanzi Ai]

"And those Corrupted by Yume-Jigoku? Do they deserve a second chance if possible?" She asked.

[Ukyou]

Ukyou finally speaks up, "Yume-Jigoku often warps the minds of good people, magnifying their worst traits to the point of destruction. What happens is rarely their fault. Even its native beings..." He shrugged. "Is it someone's fault they're created in that place, or warped by it just by being there?"

[Nanzi Ai]

Ukyou finally speaks up, "Yume-Jigoku often warps the minds of good people, magnifying their worst traits to the point of destruction. What happens is rarely their fault. Even its native beings..." He shrugged. "Is it someone's fault they're created in that place, or warped by it just by being there?"

“The circumstances of birth matter, but if someone in ignorance or knowingly follows the path of Corruption and then comes to regret it, can they be redeemed, should they if their actions have resulted in mass harm? Even if a creature of that realm had no choice is it now absolved of its actions because it has been given a second chance?” she asked.

She thought back to the many Crane and others she had put down in her purge and then hardened and said, “I am not sure if one can ever balance the scales.”

“What if the Harbinger came before us and said it seeks to right the many wrongs it has committed, should we allow it a chance or should we put it down with prejudice?”

“Forgive these dark thoughts, I apologize for souring the mood.”

[Ukyou]

"In my own mind, it's not about whether someone like that deserves a chance," he says thoughtfully. "I ask myself - will the world be improved more if such a creature dies, or if it is purified and spends its life improving the lives of others? Will the scales be balanced if it dies? The damage is still done. Does anyone feel better if it dies? I have found little more than a sense of emptiness if revenge. The matter is closed, then, but for what?"

"Naturally, others might feel differently."

[Nanzi Ai]

She breathed in and centered herself and said, "It is my Duty to destroy all threats to the Empire. The chance of false redemption is too high."

But there was an inkling of doubt in her heart.

[Wu Zhe]

''There is sense in what Ukyou-san says.'' he frowns, not sure on how to phrase it ''We might not always be able to offer a chance but I think we should try whenever able.''

[Ukyou]

"Yes, I would think such a creature would be at high risk for backsliding. They would need a minder until they had advanced quite far, and they found a way to purify themselves," Ukyou nodded in agreement. "One ruled by the fear of what might happen may lose out on what comes from trust, though. Sometimes, the rewards of trusting your gut and choosing to believe in someone are more than we can imagine."

"When I first met my best friend, he was a ragged, emaciated little hobo ranting what sounded like nonsense, invading my home. Something in me told me that he could be okay, though. So I took him in for a while and helped him get back on his feet. I've never regretted it."

[Jiyo Sora]

"The minder would need some minding too, though. You touch it, it touches you."

[Ukyou]

"The minder would need some minding too, though. You touch it, it touches you."

"Yes, I imagine the minder would have had to make extensively sure at some point before then that it's not going to affect them," Ukyou muses.

[Nanzi Ai]

Ai was silent, and let her fingers speak for her through the shamisen for now. Aggressive but colorful notes

[Wu Zhe]

Zhe was'nt sure if there was something to add here or not so he finished his meal and prepared to clean the pots and his fellow traveller's bowls and chopsticks under the notes of the crane's instrument

[Kichi]

Kcihi sighed, forehead resting on his fingers as he rubbed it as if with a headache. "So, where did you learn to cook, Wu-sama?"

[Wu Zhe]

''Proper cooking? That would be after I met Saru Takurou-san at the Winter Court five years ago. Takurou showed me there was a way to cook things while on the trail that can transform the meal from being something you have to do into an activity you can look forward to.''

He began rinsing and scrubbing the main pot

''The sharing of a meal is something I always valued but I never had the opportunity to do while travelling beyond my cheeses and other dairy.''

[Nanzi Ai]

''Proper cooking? That would be after I met Saru Takurou-san at the Winter Court five years ago. Takurou showed me there was a way to cook things while on the trail that can transform the meal from being something you have to do into an activity you can look forward to.''

"How does one make such a transformation?" she asked not really following the logic.

[Jiyo Sora]

t was Sora's turn to observe in silence, although he seemed to find Ai's puzzlement a bit amusing.

[Wu Zhe]

The sound of the hard brush scrapping the pot's metal filled the silence has he though about it

''I puts things together better?'' he frowned, not quite satisfied with his answer ''Let me explain: while you take care of a large herd you often have to move long distances to keep them fed and exercised. Sometimes you can't come home for a few days and where you go there is nigh nothing but the sky above and the earth below. You can't bring too much and nothing that would spoil fast...even then what you eat is mostly stale or dried up, so it's not the most salivating situation. Still most make due with what they have and life goes on.''

''It does happen, however that you cross paths with other herders, some travelers, a few monks here and there, a lost cat looking for it's hat and so on. When that happens we often eat together at least once then exchange a few things from our packs to bring diversity to a few of our future meals. You can heat stuff in a pan with water simply enough but actual cooking bring something else to the table. It's about dosage, taste, texture...how to use what life as given you in new ways. It's about trying and discovering a new pairing of ingredients, the flavors that build on each other and, most importantly, sharing those with the others you meet.''

[Nanzi Ai]

"I see... that is interesting," she replied politely.

"Thank you for sharing with me."