The Day of Thunder

Kenji found himself spending an increasing large amount of time around the Lion part of the Camp, not that such was a bad thing, as the Dragon girl had pointed out earlier in the day someone needed to keep an eye on the camp. Not that such was what Kenji was doing, he was instead relaxing on the log by his fire pit enjoying a glass of shochu.

This was usually around his bedtime, but sometimes it was good to relax and properly digest the occurrences of the day and his thoughts about them.

Sora had been having a Day.

A very long, no-sleep-the-night-before, everyone-keeps-asking-me-questions-like-I-know-the-answers Day.

So he'd decided to actually don his armor and take a turn around the camp. Just to remind himself that there were some things he was good at.

His armor was bedecked in exquisite calligraphy, what seemed to be nicknames in sort of bronze laquer, and while he wore his swords at his side, he carried his naginata, slung across his shoulders.

He walked softly, but not sneakily, especially since his player had forgotten the additional -5 from Fatigue, but that was all right, he was mostly just trying to insure he got some sleep that night.

Kenji heard the approach and turned his eyes in the direction of it a moment later. Seeing it was the old man that liked to talk about babies he offered a polite nod of greeting. "Evening." He offered easily.

"On watch duty this evening?"

"Checking up."

He shrugged. He didn't know the young Lion, but it was good to see someone taking the job seriously.

"Also trying to wear myself out enough to get some sleep. Some bloodshed earlier in the day, might have come at a good time. Keeps us all sharp."

"A lot of people around here are struggling to get some sleep, so can't exactly say I blame you." Kenji offered lifting his cup too his lips and taking a sip. "I figured a drink or two wouldn't do any harm in helping find a good night's rest myself."

"You're right about the keeping us sharp part though. I hate to see innocents getting hurt and all, but it seems to be we needed something to put our heads and hearts in the right direction." That battle would hopefully serve well enough.

"More than that... it's a good reminder of what we're trying to put a stop to here. The people hurt or killed here today? The Empire writ small."

He took a sip, and arched an eyebrow.

"Strong stuff, Akodo-san."

"If, you're going to drink it might as well be something worth a damn." Kenji said with a smirk. "Nothing against the weaker stuff but that's for fancy parties and those that attend them. I'm a soldier, so I drink like one." He finished making sure the jug of liquor was in easy reach of both of them.

"But yeah, that too, people should be able to sleep in peace, and not have to worry about what demons might find them in the night." Or murder them during the day for that matter.

"Well said, Akodo-san."

He took another sip.

"It's all part of the job. The Boss is quite clear on that- we protect the Empire. Otherwise, what's the point?"

"What's the point of the Empire if we don't fight to defend it? Or what's the point of an Empire if there is no one alive in it to defend?" Kenji asked, they probably had different answers, but did that really even matter.

"Either way you don't have to worry about me Jiyo-san. I'm here to do my duty and that's fighting against whatever is here. Whether I'm some sort of destined hero or not doesn't particularly matter."

"Between you, me, and everyone else I've ever talked to on the subject? I think Destiny's a crock. Oh, I think there are prophecies and cycles, but... I've seen- and changed- too many different futures to really believe there's one in particular that's destined. It wasn't destiny that pulled HIsomu out of Jigoku, it was love. It wasn't destiny that let Kakita expose the demon Hadananzi, it was careful preparation and a dedicated warrior. So."

Sip.

"I would say, Akodo-san, that I'm not worried about you at all. And that if you are chosen as the Lion thunder, so be it. And if not... that's fine too. I know Akodo likes to focus more on the concerns of Ningen-Do than on spiritual matters, but I also know that your Clan are not fools, and if there's one thing a Lion samurai does, it's fulfill their duty as they see it."

"Oh, I'm sure monks would argue something along the line that there is no one future is destined, but its people that are, and it's up to them to fulfil that destiny not up to the destiny to fulfill itself." It sounded like a bit of nonsense to him, but he'd listened to a monk more than once in his life, they had a lot to say to him when his brother died after all.

He reached down to get the jug and refill his cup. "I'm not concerned either, truth be told. But the way you say it makes me think there is someone or something you are concerned with. Not that I'm an expert in that sort of thing."

"Yeah."

He snorted.

"Me! Can't imagine Shinsei asked me to come all the way here just to talk myself hoarse about the old days. And since we know damned well I'm not a Thunder, that leaves me wondering what the hell I'm here for. Shinsei said I'm supposed to protect people, organize things, and keep it all together. Well. Seems to me we've got plenty of protectors, Lady Makime's far better at organization than I'll ever be, and keeping everything together?"

He snorted.

"Tall order. I've got people asking my advice like I'm much smarter than a well-trained horse, I've got old friends and old enemies all hanging around, I've got the Crane getting crossways with the Crab, the Spider already crossways with the Crane, the Crab sour on the Imperial families, some weird spirit-woman wandering around trying to get us all to speak and think in symbols, a few more damned spirits dressed up like humans and playing it slightly better, all of it in a village where the river will make you forget, the cemetery shows you your fears, the locals drug parties with stimulants, "and we're all performing rituals from some quasi-heretical offshoot of the Isawa tribe as translated by some well-intentioned ascetic."

A sidelong glance at the Lion.

"Marching into Jigoku was simpler."

Kenji took a slow sip of his whiskey thinking over what Sora said for a few moments before speaking. "Well, maybe you're here to hit people over the head with a stick, as the saying goes. Lady Makime is a fine commander, but it's a commander's job to give orders not to instill discipline. So likely as not she'll need people to help keep order.

"Can't be just anyone either with Kami's kids running around and heirs to Daimyo, they need someone with a bit of weight to their name to keep them in line. To organize watch rotations like the ones that Dragon girl Satsuki mentioned and to make sure they're followed." He took a sip of his sake. "More or less a glorified babysitter is needed to keep folks on task. I don't know if that's the reason you are here, but it's a job and i'm pretty sure it's available." He finished with a soft chuckle.

"I liked being a babysitter."

Sip.

"Oh, I got stabbed, shot, poisoned a few times, there were plenty of fools who wanted to strike at the Boss through his daughters."

His grin was savage.

"Not so many by the time I was done with them, of course. But it was far more straightforward than all of this. Tokiwa, Osakabe, Shikibu, Tae, Kumori... all of them so new. And seeing each of the five, from the same parents, so... different in their ways. But it wasn't a puzzle to solve like this mess."

While the pair were talking, over at another thread, Genji was slowly laying out his tea supplies. nothing like a good, strong tea before a potentially horrible night. A small yawn escaped, as he started the fire to heat the pot.

Ranmaru meandered through camp, shirt bare as always. The only thing that stirred his listlessness was the sight of Genji. Such beauty...! He needed to be on his best behavior.

Though people often had different views on what that meant. "Some tea before resting for the evening? Good, good!"

Jiyo Sora wrote: ↑

Sun Oct 29, 2023 11:32 am

"I liked being a babysitter."

Sip.

"Oh, I got stabbed, shot, poisoned a few times, there were plenty of fools who wanted to strike at the Boss through his daughters."

His grin was savage.

"Not so many by the time I was done with them, of course. But it was far more straightforward than all of this. Tokiwa, Osakabe, Shikibu, Tae, Kumori... all of them so new. And seeing each of the five, from the same parents, so... different in their ways. But it wasn't a puzzle to solve like this mess."

He shrugged the names the man said didn't really mean much to him, he didn't really know much of the Emperor's daughters after all. They didn't really have anything to do with him. "If all else fails just ask Lady Makime, I'm sure she can dig up something for you to do that doesn't require all the puzzle solving." She was pretty wise about things like that.

"Or could be Lady Anjing has some ideas of what to do?"

Genji smiled. "Certainly, certainly...Saru-san, if I believe? Hantei Genji, Stag heir." He indicated opposite of himself. "Care for a cup?" He prepared a steaming brew for the Dragon on the other end.

OOC:
D2 LE Tea Ceremony, tn 15, Ranmaru is other peeps, VP for +1k1+6 (school tech 1) | 5k4+6 ⇒ 27 (TN: 15)

Woo, 1 VP for everyone! That is Ranmaru. And Genji.

Akodo Kenji wrote: ↑

Sun Oct 29, 2023 7:36 pm

He shrugged the names the man said didn't really mean much to him, he didn't really know much of the Emperor's daughters after all. They didn't really have anything to do with him. "If all else fails just ask Lady Makime, I'm sure she can dig up something for you to do that doesn't require all the puzzle solving." She was pretty wise about things like that.

"Or could be Lady Anjing has some ideas of what to do?"

"Two more puzzles. Whatever respect may be there, we have no camaraderie. Too many old stubborn goats in the equation..."

Lady Anjing certainly hadn't seemed like a stubborn old goat to him. But then he hadn't known her that long either, and old people tended to be a bit stuck in their ways.

"Well then, what would you like to do here. If you had the choice to do anything."