That's right. Knowledge. That's what she
came here for. It was what the Spider needed. All she needed to do, all she should do, is give EVERYTHING for that goa...
She remembered something suddenly. Something her Spider mother had once told her. Reiko Subaru had always been the more demanding of her parents, the more distant, the more cold. Not that she ever doubted Subaru loved her as a daughter, but where her Kirin mother showed it more outwardly, Subaru was private about her affection and approvals, keeping them behind closed doors and in small gestures; A small nod, a touch on the top of the head, an extra piece of mochi on her plate with a meal unacknowledged, an offer to teach her something new and exciting.
But in this haze of blood and ichor and broken silver, the soft spoken woman's voice came to her and she remembered what Subaru called her most important lesson; That the only thing worse than not giving your all for your Empire and Clan... was giving your ALL for your Empire and Clan.
"Ohta, I know you are not as young as you once were, and you have learned much with Hisomu-sensei at the dojo. You will graduate in one week, and soon you will leave this house, to do me and Wakana-san proud. But if there is any one thing you must remember, out of all the things you have learned in this household, this town, it is this; We are all humans, Ohta. Fragile, sinful, foolish, and proud. We can do amazing things when we put our mind to things, when we give our all and then some. We can push past limitations we thought we had, grow and fly and amaze even the Heavens with what we can do. I know you can achieve those heights, that you will give your all. But do not knowing when to stop, when to rest, when to ask for help, when to admit you are lost... that is much more important than knowing when to push yourself."
"Daughter, you were once a child who could not walk, and one day you may be an old woman who is retired. And between that you do not stop being human, corruptible and imperfect like we all are. A true samurai remembers these things, and it is not a weakness, it is a strength. If you strive for perfection, to know all and do all, to live up to every wish of those around you, you will lose yourself in the process, like a hungry spider who chokes because she tries to eat a dozen flies at once. Be wise, Ohta, and seek Wisdom above Knowledge. I know I have no room to talk because of my own failings, but I have learned much because of my mistakes, and I do not wish to see you repeat them."
When the words finished, ended with the memory of both of her parents hugging her, the scene was gone. The blood, the foam, the pounding in her head that drove her.
She stopped, gave in to sleep, and just let herself rest. For the first time since arriving in Blue Lotus Village.
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TN25 for final check, rolled 30.