Jade Legacy [L5R 3eR] - Act 1: Atsumari/Gathering

[Rain Yupa]

"You know, you can come to the Dragon tent if you're unsure where to have tea. It might involve company, though."

Scene will proceed whether or not Zanzen is willing to risk other Dragons hearing the conversation.

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Doji Kita would inform the Matsu of the times. "The Physical competition will always happen at midday. Whether or not it finishes, the Social Event begins at the hour of Shiba. Finally, the Mental exercises always begin at the hour of Shinjo, after Lord Sun has receded."  

[Raganui Minamoto]

"That will work."  

[Plainsfox]

"I'm going to tempt fate and wake up Lady Soshi. Is there any thing you need from me to prepare yourself in your match, Naizen-san?""  

[Keith Valken Lionheart]

"Ah, I see. Thank you for the information. I shall be there, then. If you'd excuse me, Kita-sama." Seichiro gave a low bow to Doji Kita, and would leave to the watch the Jiujutsu competition.  

[Rain Yupa]

@ Dragon Tent:

"It would be an honor to have you in our presence then, Kakita Zanzen." With that, Sozen would lead the way to the green-tinted tent, securing a servant to bring them tea along the way.

Upon entering the tent, which was far less decorated than the Crane one (admittedly, they all were). There was no sign of the young Kitsuki girl, but Tamori Makoto was present, finishing some rice.

"Oh! Sozen-san, you've brought a guest! Now I feel under-dressed for the occasion." Makoto would muse, as he would be in his typical priestly robes.

"We are here simply to have tea and speak, Makoto-san," Sozen would respond.

"Well, then. Allow me to leave you your privacy. I wouldn't wish to intrude. I know how delicate negotiations with other clans tend to be," Makoto mused. He would bow, though turning to Kakita Zanzen afterwards. "I must apologize; both my fellow Clansmen are unbearably dull, with Sozen-san being the bigger culprit of the two. If you'd like to speak with something with more personality, I shall return after signing up."

Sozen would stick his thumb over his shoulder towards the flaps to the tent, and chuckling, Makoto would vacate.

Settling down, Sozen would listen to Zanzen's concerns. He would nod, before discussing the matter. "I can understand that. Jiujutsu is a skill normally learned by Daidoji more than the Kakita, from my experience. I look at it as a necessity; you never know when you will be without a weapon, and being able to disable your opponents in such situations is an important trait. Hmmmm..." He would sip his tea, considering his options.

"Why come to me? I imagine Matsu Seichiro or Kan would be more experts on the matter than I. My Jiujutsu is actually but a collection of basic moves, nothing fancy."

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@ Daidoji Training Grounds:

Naizen would pause, and answer curtly. "I need no assistance. If I cannot prepare on my own, then my failure is already guaranteed." Kojiro, if you like, make an Perception/Investigation (Notice) check vs TN 30 to realize that by the the time you turn around, Naizen is already vanished.  

[Raganui Minamoto]

"Matsu Seichiro is not signing up for the competition, instead he is signing up for the Lore one. I've yet to hear of a Matsu Scholar, thus I can only assume that his ability in Juijitsu may be on the same level as mine, unless Raicho-sama intimidated him. As for Kan-san, I am not very familiar with many people here, aside from Koan-san of the Crane, and he is not a fighter. Though I believe he thinks a bit much of himself."

He takes a drink of his tea, allowing a pause. "As such, the only person else I have had more than a passing word with is you, Sozen-san. I would not normally ask favors, since Koan-san would see it as lowering myself, but I would at least like to know the basics before getting myself pummeled."  

[Plainsfox]

"Isn't it traditional to do that in a swirl of leaves or somesuch? The samurai would mutter to no one in particular.

With that, Kojiro would head towards the Scorpion tent and pause at the entrance, calling out "Maru-san, are you decent?"


OOC: Perception/Investigation 3k2 >< Result: 13  

[Rain Yupa]

@ Dragon Tent:

Sozen would laugh. "A Matsu, so easily intimidated? You're kidding me!" Sozen would laugh again, highly amused by the prospect.

After getting that out of his system, he would nod his head in acknowledgment of Zanzen's plight. "I can see why you'd be concerned. Well... for Jiujutsu, it works differently than Kenjutsu. With Kenjutsu, the deadliness of the blow comes from a sweeping or chopping strike. For Jiujutsu, you need to come at them directly. No fancy maneuvers. Think of it as..."

idea

"Think of it as using your wakizashi or tanto to stab, instead of slash or slice. But you have to think of your weapon as so small, it doesn't even extend behind your hand. You need to thrust all the way, or the blow will have no power behind it."

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@ Scorpion Tent:

At this point, upon Kojiro's return, Maru would be awake. "Yes, Kojiro-san, I am dressed. Ungh, why is it such a mess this morning?" Maru was in her kimono already, and was very determined about brushing her hair, trying her best to straighten it.  

[Psychofish]

[2k2 Void: 9]

The morning came, and even with the sun choked, Denbe's mood could not be better. He practically burst with excitement upon hearing of the competitions which were to be hosted this day. Poetry would be as fine to listen to as the story telling, though he'd rarely had the patience to compose much of it himself. And the competition of lore practically thrilled his natural curiosity- but as much as he planned to sit in and pay attention to every word exchanged in that meeting, he had few studies of his own to contribute.

"I would like to participate in the Jiujutsu competition," he noted politely.

Denbe was not built especially well for Jiujutsu, on the small side as he was. The same could be said of his swordsmanship. Nor was his training in unarmed combat any better than that of his swordsmanship. But despite this he'd always had a bit of a knack for delivering his blows just right...

Perhaps he could prove himself a formidable warrior yet, even after his embarrassment on the first day.  

[Raganui Minamoto]

"An interesting way to put it. Thank you, Sozen-san." Taking a bit to finish his tea, he set the cup down slowly. "I think I understand the idea there too. I think I can kind of adapt my kenjutsu into it, if I think of my arm as the blade. Still, I think you probably hold a much better chance here than I, since I am going in with no practice and an untested idea. If luck wills it, we'll hopefully meet in the first match, so you can give a proper explanation."

Standing, he would bow and excuse himself, heading back to the Crane tents to practice trying not attack with the length of a blade added to his strikes.  

[Rain Yupa]

@ Dragon Tent:

"One more thing, Zanzen-san!" Sozen would suddenly call out. "When you punch someone, don't clench your thumb into your fist, or you might dislocate or break it. That's the most important rule of Jiujutsu." He would stand in bow in return to Zanzen.

As he vacated the tent, though, he would bump into a young girl with her black hair tied back in a lengthy ponytail, dressed in a sleeveless kimono with yellow sash around her waist.

"Oh! Hello!" Wazuka would say in surprise, not expecting the Crane to be there. She would gaze past Zanzen to Sozen, then back up to the Crane's eyes.

"I'm sorry, were you just leaving? I apologize, I did not expect you to be there just now." She would step aside after (presumably) being addressed by the Crane.  

[Plainsfox]

Kojiro would enter the tent and sit down on his cot. "I came here to inform you on the day's tournament selections. There will be a juijutsu tournament, a poetry tournament, and a lore tournament. Naizen-san has signed up for the Juijutsu tournament. I have signed up for the Lore tournament. Not that I hold any thoughts of winning, given that there are many contestants here with a skilled and varied knowledge base to draw upon. I just don't want to make Lord Yoritomo's mistake."

Kojiro paused for a second to let Maru digest the tournament information. before continuing. "I also know what Ide Jiro is up to. Ide Jiro is not on good terms with Horiuchi Sayako and must find a champion to compete for him in the final duel."  

[Raganui Minamoto]

"Ah, my apologies. I was not watching where I was going, thus I am at fault, not you." He would bow a bit, before going to the Crane tent.  

[Rain Yupa]

@ Scorpion Tent:

"Oh? You must have been busy this morning. I'm surprised that is his reason, honestly. Good work, Kojiro-san. If that's the extent of his motivations, than he isn't a threat to our victory either."

She would listen to the events, and respond to them in kind. "I will be competing in the Lore tournament as well, and I'm positive I have a great advantage in this competition." She would pause with her brushing, and look to Kojiro. "If you wanted any victory for yourself, I'm warning you now, I will not allow you to best me. As long as you are content with Runner Up, that is. If you are not, then you can help elsewhere." Smiling coyly, she would then add "Tonight, victory for the Scorpion is assured."  

[Plainsfox]

"I expect nothing less from you, Maru-san. I am sure that you will awe us all tonight. I only wish that tomorrow might bring me more fortuitous events so that I can continue bringing glory to our clan in the same way."