Mistakes had been made over the last days.

Mistakes that could of course be explained easily: Not enough strict adherence to Akodo's teachings.

In particular, while Kanna had been faithful to the text, she had been neglecting the sword heavily, and her body had quickly decayed to that of a couch potato.

That would not do. Time for 1,000 strikes!

...

*Pant. Pant.*

Ah yes. After barely 20 swings of her bokken, she was reminded why she had gone for a paper-pushing career instead of the military. This stuff looked far easier than it actually was.

Well, honor would have to carry her through that trial of the body.

Kitsu Kanna wrote: ↑

Sat Apr 23, 2022 8:50 pm

Mistakes had been made over the last days.

Mistakes that could of course be explained easily: Not enough strict adherence to Akodo's teachings.

In particular, while Kanna had been faithful to the text, she had been neglecting the sword heavily, and her body had quickly decayed to that of a couch potato.

That would not do. Time for 1,000 strikes!

...

*Pant. Pant.*

Ah yes. After barely 20 swings of her bokken, she was reminded why she had gone for a paper-pushing career instead of the military. This stuff looked far easier than it actually was.

Well, honor would have to carry her through that trial of the body.

Someone who was more of a string bean than a couch potato due to regular missing of meals entered the dojo. She spared a glance to the Lion doing her 100 strikes....but only a glance. The Lion might decide that a ronin was a convenient practice dummy for hitting, so Hato hurried her step to not volunteer for such a duty.

The basement was her target...not only because that was the sort of training she wanted to do...but the basement was just slightly cooler on this hot day.

Hato entered one of the firing ranges chambers, one that had been loaded up with a life-sized target like the Scorpion like to practice on.

Hato squared off against her inert opponent, drew her gun and pulled the trigger.

*Click*

Hato holstered the weapon, squared off again, drew the gun, and pulled the trigger.

*Click*

The Lion might be doing 100 strikes, but the ronin had decided to go for 100 draws....without ammo.

After completing with difficulty her third series of twelve strikes, Kanna decided it would be a good idea to mix different kinds of physical activities. Gotta work up different muscles all that.

Thus, after a quick shower and changing into more appropriate clothes, she moved to the shooting range.

The weird noise of the empty shots had her raise an eyebrow.

"Problem with your gun samurai-san?"

Kitsu Kanna wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 24, 2022 7:52 pm

After completing with difficulty her third series of twelve strikes, Kanna decided it would be a good idea to mix different kinds of physical activities. Gotta work up different muscles all that.

Thus, after a quick shower and changing into more appropriate clothes, she moved to the shooting range.

The weird noise of the empty shots had her raise an eyebrow.

"Problem with your gun samurai-san?"

*Click*

Gun safety was situationally more important than etiquette. Even with a gun you knew was empty, simply because you did not want to get into the habit of assuming. So Hato holstered the weapon, before turning and bowing deeply to the Lion.

"This one does not believe so, Lady Lion, but this one is not trained as a gunsmith. Perhaps Lady Lion has detected some difficulty with the weapon that this one has not?" she stated with curiosity, an empty gun, and an undamaged shooting target.

"Not a specialist either. Just mechanical noises I'm not used to. Could just be the model of your weapon that's way different from mine. From which forge did it come out?"

Kitsu Kanna wrote: ↑

Mon Apr 25, 2022 8:36 am

"Not a specialist either. Just mechanical noises I'm not used to. Could just be the model of your weapon that's way different from mine. From which forge did it come out?"

Hato thought about the fine gun that had once been hers, traded for this one with a lower profile.

"Ah, this one is a local model, Lady Lion. Favored by wolves for being relatively inexpensive and decently reliable." she admitted. "Not as nice as the ones you'll find on the hips of the local Scorpions, to be sure. But one would rather have an ugly gun that functions than a pretty one that does not."

She looked curiously at the Lion.

"This one assumes that Lady Lion's firearm of choice is up to the high military standards the Lion are well known for." she indirectly asked.

"I don't think it would even cross the mind of the stewards of the Lion to provide any samurai, even a simple journalist such as myself, with a weapon that isn't reliable and deadly on any battlefield. Every Lion is expected to have sharp fangs and to know how to use them. It sends a message.

I would be surprised if I was the first Lion you've ever met though. All clans seem to have brought quite the contingent on this planet in the context of this Winter Court."

Kitsu Kanna wrote: ↑

Mon Apr 25, 2022 5:18 pm

"I don't think it would even cross the mind of the stewards of the Lion to provide any samurai, even a simple journalist such as myself, with a weapon that isn't reliable and deadly on any battlefield. Every Lion is expected to have sharp fangs and to know how to use them. It sends a message.

I would be surprised if I was the first Lion you've ever met though. All clans seem to have brought quite the contingent on this planet in the context of this Winter Court."

"Lady Lion is astute. This one has encountered a couple of Lion this season. They have conducted themselves honorably as expected of the Lion. This one hopes that they have been free of misfortune, and have been able to enjoy their time upon this world." she offered sincerely.

Hato's encounters with the Lion had been brief, but that was almost a tradition at Winter Court. Surely Kanna was about to storm out of the room.

"And of course, this one hopes it has been the same for Lady Lion." she added.

"I'm here for work first and foremost this time. Not sure I'll come back for vacations though. There's a theme park feeling to this city I find. The first day, you're living the dream inside a pink castle. By the seven, all you can see anymore are the cracks in the cardboard and the rusty pipes behind them.

How long have you lived here yourself out of curiosity?"

Kitsu Kanna wrote: ↑

Mon Apr 25, 2022 6:11 pm

"I'm here for work first and foremost this time. Not sure I'll come back for vacations though. There's a theme park feeling to this city I find. The first day, you're living the dream inside a pink castle. By the seven, all you can see anymore are the cracks in the cardboard and the rusty pipes behind them.

How long have you lived here yourself out of curiosity?"

Hato offered a somewhat sad smile.

"Ah, long enough that this one is now merely another crack in the cardboard, and that which came before is the dream." she waxed.

She shook her head.

"A nice dream, filled with laughter and love, but that has all flown away on the wind. This one assume that Lady Lion is looking forward to concluding her work upon this world then."

Kanna's eyes wandered, scanning the woman for any visible trace of substance abuse, disease, and all the fun stuff that could expected from a ronin that had lived for too long in this city.

"Indeed. The actual vacation will be on Kitsu Prime after this mission, with my family.

But before that I still have a lot of work to do there. Duty's duty."

Kitsu Kanna wrote: ↑

Mon Apr 25, 2022 9:33 pm

Kanna's eyes wandered, scanning the woman for any visible trace of substance abuse, disease, and all the fun stuff that could expected from a ronin that had lived for too long in this city.

"Indeed. The actual vacation will be on Kitsu Prime after this mission, with my family.

But before that I still have a lot of work to do there. Duty's duty."

The scan of the Kitsu eyes revealed a certain thinness, more in line with under nourishment than substance abuse. There wasn't any visible sign of disease, but who knew what lurked beneath the surface. She did seem to keep herself clean at least.

"Ah, might this one inquire what one does on vacation on Kitsu Prime? This one is more familiar with what samurai do on the World of Dreams for vacation." she inquired.

"It's my family home, so helping my parents who aren't getting any younger with the temple, and looking after my daughter who I had left in their care while I was here.

Husband in the military so he isn't going home any soon, with the ongoing war."

Kitsu Kanna wrote: ↑

Mon Apr 25, 2022 9:52 pm

"It's my family home, so helping my parents who aren't getting any younger with the temple, and looking after my daughter who I had left in their care while I was here.

Husband in the military so he isn't going home any soon, with the ongoing war."

Hato nodded.

"It sounds very peaceful, Lady Lion. This one is sure that your daughter is dutifully awaiting your return." she said with a small twinge of envy.

Hato had been alone for so long, she could scarcely picture the happy little family waiting for the Kitsu's return.

"No matter how much it hurts my pride, honesty would have that I recognize that, as she's not even old enough to walk yet, this is unlikely to be true. I hope to be able to spend enough time with her this time for her to build actual long-term memories of her mom.

No kid of your own then? Of blood or adopted? The stories of old are full of ronin banding together to reconstitute a semblance of family of their own, but the tradition seems to have been lost of giant planets where one does not simply meet travel companions by walking the road."

Kitsu Kanna wrote: ↑

Tue Apr 26, 2022 9:09 am

"No matter how much it hurts my pride, honesty would have that I recognize that, as she's not even old enough to walk yet, this is unlikely to be true. I hope to be able to spend enough time with her this time for her to build actual long-term memories of her mom.

No kid of your own then? Of blood or adopted? The stories of old are full of ronin banding together to reconstitute a semblance of family of their own, but the tradition seems to have been lost of giant planets where one does not simply meet travel companions by walking the road."

Is that how Yonaga felt about me? Was I a daughter to her? How cruel to find and lose another parent. Hato thought turning the Lion's words over in her mind.

"Ah, apologies Lady Lion, this one made an assumption about the age of your daughter. Hopefully Lady Lion's duties allow her the time she needs to be by her daughter's side." she offered, recognizing that was not always the case as far as Duty was concerned.

"A child of my own would be.....dangerous, Lady Lion. There is more than cracked cardboard and rusty pipes to be aware of in this wonderland, Lady Lion. This one....could not be certain this one could offer safe haven to a child.....as much as it would mean to this one to have such by their side." she said.

Hato had been running alone for so long that taking on a child had never occurred to her. But the Lion's picture of a peaceful family caused her genuine pause.

"Understandable. I'm not sure I would like to bring my own child to this planet, even if she was to remain within the strong walls of the embassy, even less so if I had to carry her into the urban wilderness of this world.

However, if it's only a location issue, it raises another question: What's your plan to leave this wretched place?"

Kitsu Kanna wrote: ↑

Tue Apr 26, 2022 6:21 pm

"Understandable. I'm not sure I would like to bring my own child to this planet, even if she was to remain within the strong walls of the embassy, even less so if I had to carry her into the urban wilderness of this world.

However, if it's only a location issue, it raises another question: What's your plan to leave this wretched place?"

At that Hato gave a small shrug.

"It is not easy for a wave to break free of the bounds of this world, Lady Lion. While the Scorpion have no love for wolves, neither do most clans. It is not like ancient nigh mythical Rokugan where a wave might slip from land to land. One cannot simply leave if one does not have a destination secured." she admitted.

She shook her head.

"It must be a wonderous thing you have experienced Lady Lion. Even if you do not care for this world, it can at least make you appreciate your own that much more." she said truly envious of the Lion's ability to travel.

"My question wasn't so much about your realistic take on the situation that it was about the dream that allows you to wake up every day, the hope you're clinging to to not become another of the human wreckage that haunt this planet."

Kitsu Kanna wrote: ↑

Tue Apr 26, 2022 7:15 pm

"My question wasn't so much about your realistic take on the situation that it was about the dream that allows you to wake up every day, the hope you're clinging to to not become another of the human wreckage that haunt this planet."

Hato nodded.

"Fair enough, Lady Lion. Even those who are but cracks in the cardboard have their dreams as well." she offered, "In my dream, I would book passage on a Firefly ship, and fly to the furthest edge of the Empire, perhaps beyond. Never to return to this world, simply moving away further and further."

She chuckled a bit.

"A foolish dream, perhaps, but one that I think of every time I gaze upon the stars."