The Day of Thunder

Sleep never came and so here she was, back in the Imperial camp, she was l;ooking for a man. Because she had learned something and she needed answers.

She stifled a yawn and announced her presence for the Imperial Librarian.

Who was enjoying no appreciable success in clearing his mind and finding hsi center and otherwise dealing with being so damn tired.

So despite a general irritability that was steadily increasing, he was more... resigned than annoyed when his meditation attempt was interrupted.

"Morning, Nanzi-san. Have you had sleep today?"

“No… no I have not, but lack of sleep should not deter a samurai. Will you join me for tea this morning?” she asked.

She gestured to a small setup to steep tea beside the tent. “I had wanted to speak with you, if you have a moment.”

"Tea would be lovely, Nanzi-san, and as my meditation was going nowhere, perhaps conversation will enlighten me."

Ai nodded and went through the exacting steps just as her Mother taught her. Each step performed with precision and grace. By the end she presented the steeped tea to Sora with humility.

It was customary for the guest to have the first sip.

OOC: Tea Ceremony +Void | 5k4 ⇒ 40 (TN: 20) Recover 1 Void.

Sora accepted with as much grace as he could muster.

Which was, under the circumstances, quite a bit.

Including not simply stampeding toward the business at hand, instead appreciating the tea in silence.

It really was good tea, after all.

Satisfied with the flavor she finally broached the topic that brought her here, “I am no monk, nor do I have their penchant for riddles and koans all the same I find myself ensconced in… well first I must ask.”

“Those two monks, did you know.”

"At the river. Now.... knowing the elder as I do, and seeing the younger... differently..."

He tapped the cheekbone under his eye.

"I opted to be cautious. This eye has been fooled by the younger in the past."

He paused.

"Five years ago, I strongly suspected, and kept my silence because... who would believe me? You may ask Doji Hikaru-san about that if you wish, for I spoke my suspicions to him. I suspected it might be at the root of your mother's illness, because at the time we did not know."

He took a deep breath.

"This time... I kept my silence because everyone would believe me. As we are having this conversation, I presume you have spoken. Did he have anything to say for himself?"

Ai sipped some tea and then responded, “We spoke at some length, I had suspicions from our first encounter. He confirmed them, and it took all my will not to do what I swore to my family what I would do. Now I better understand parts of that conversation in hindsight.”

“As for the Raven, it knew no other life and although we gave our love freely it betrayed us… and was exposed and fled and reborn in some esoteric way and now seeks redemption? That bit was unclear to me, but I am sure if I made the correct decision and I am agitated that such knowledge was kept from me.”

Sora nodded.

"You should not be pleased to be kept in the dark, Nanzi-san. But I am pleased that you have taken your family's teachings on discretion as you have. For what it's worth... by my understanding, the betrayal was there before your family gave it your love. It betrayed your father from the moment they met. The love came later."

He sipped his tea.

"While my own journey has not been quite so... extreme, I happen to know that loving a thing can change it. Even if, in this case, the change may have come too late for happiness, it doesn't mean the change is false."

He paused.

"And as we're not going anywhere, you still have time to make your final decision. It may be that your forgiveness might finish slaying the thing it was. It may be that your blade is a more fitting end. But now that you know, I will say that it is up to you. It is your family that is concerned here. And your choice. So it's not my place to tell you what I would do."

She frowned again and said, “Yes… it did begin with Father and he has paid that price many times over and he has never wavered from his dedication to the Empire.”

“Yet… anyway, I plan to speak with them again in the future if only to assess this redemption.”

"I've not agreed with your father on many things, Nanzi-san, but I will say that not in my darkest hours would I have ever accused him of knowing what he had brought into the fold. You know, I once told someone that your father and I would likely have to kill one another."

He shrugged.

"It is deeply gratifying to be wrong at times."

“I pray that never comes to pass, the Empire needs both of you; so where do we go from here, I believe that we cannot let this become public… for any number of reasons,” she responded calmly.

"Of course not. What good would it do? Whatever your final decision, Nanzi-san, I know your heart is in the right place. If you wish me to be present for a conversation with the Raven, I will be there. If you wish me to not merely stay away, but keep others away, I will assist you. If you wish for me to stay out of the business completely, I will do so."

“Why don’t we just play it by the day, we have so few left. Keep this to ourselves and it will give me time to consider what to do with all of this. This also complicates one more thing… Anazihime has a son, my beautiful nephew, Hajime,” she responded.

"As far as we can tell he is... fine," she said heading off that line of questioning.

"You need not worry yourself on that score. I'm not in the business of bringing harm to children through indiscretion. The boy deserves a chance at his own future."

He paused.

"Does the Raven know?"

She felt mild shame and then responded, “I wanted the raven to know a bit of hurt or shock… so yes I may have been a bit spiteful about it. In hindsight I am not sure if that too was a mistake.”

“But the jug is broken, it cannot be mended.”

Sora chewed on that for a second.

"It might be a good thing. If he is sincere his his efforts at redemption? How he deals with the matter of an innocent child tied to his former existence will speak volumes."

“It would go a long way to clarify his intentions,” she responded. “Still he is here, in this place, at this moment. I have to believe there is a role yet left for it to play. It is not by accident. It was meant to be here, for good or ill.”

"I am inclined to agree. Very little about this whole... scenario feels coincidental."