Patterns (D11, ME)

[Jihen]

"As a child's first step is a challenge..." He replied in agreement and support. Because after all... she had learned to walk.

"Some senses are harder for each of us. Many of us find that 'touch' is easier to center ourselves on at first. Our minds are trained to block out what we hear when we sleep to some degree... what we see by closing our eyes... what we taste or smell by proper breathing."

He reaches his into hand into his sleeve, finding the pocket. From within the pocket he withdraws a band of juzu beads. He extends the beads out and places them gently into her open hands.

"Feel... Close your eyes... close your ears... breathe with your mouth. Count the beads with your fingers... feel their warmth and texture. Feel the ground beneath you... Feel it come into you and you into it..."

Without telling her, Jihen begins gently pushing his finger down into the mat between them without making a noise. He raises and lowers it in practiced rhythm... Never letting his finger slam the ground to cause it to reverberate in the air.

And thus he would wait... observing her with all his senses... as she learned to hone hers.

[Fukurokujin]

Sadako's counting of the beads begins to fall into rhythm with Jihen's finger--not one-to-one, but like the downbeat to a measure of music whose quarter-notes the monk plays.

[Jihen]

As she continues to focus Jihen quietly shifts to face towards the table.

He grabs three dry cups that had not been used for tea and places them a short distance in front of Sadako.

He then pulls from his sleeve a single bead from his first juzu bracelet... which had been used until the threads wore thin and broke.

He pulled the bead up to his mouth and balanced it deftly along the top of his fingers as his hand makes a series of mudra...

His mind raced with increased fire... and he allows a portion of that fire to emanate out through his breath into the bead; hoping to make it a bright and beckoning bead of Void and Fire.

He then selects the right-most cup and places the imbued bead underneath the upside-down cup.

As he feels her faint connection slightly lead itself more to the proper rhythm... he leans in and prompts in a soft voice.

"Where is the bead of warmth on the earth...?"

He then begins to push his finger back onto the ground in the proper rhythm and watches her attempt.

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D11 Fluff Kiho Activation | 8k4 ⇒ 38 (TN: 15)

Gonna do a fluff version of "To the Last Breath" to put some Void into a bead.

[Seppun Sadako]

Sadako opens her eyes and stops counting.

She looks at the cups, then reaches out and lifts...the middle one.

There is, of course, no ball under there.

She shakes her head slightly. "I suppose I must practice this diligently," she says.

[Jihen]

"Otosan Uchi was not built in a day." He replied with a smile.

He pulls out the bead from underneath the proper cup and holds it out in his hand offering it to her to feel the resonance he placed in it.

"I would feel rather bad about myself if you were able to master it in one sitting."

He then smiled, "Or really good about my teaching ability..."

[Seppun Sadako]

Sadako carefully lifts the bead from his hand.

"Curious," she says, rolling it slightly in her palm. "It seems almost to quiver, somehow."

[Jihen]

"The quivering is simply more evident... Just as you feel the warmth of beads held in a hand more than those that have been left out in the snow."

He tilts his head, "It most likely shakes against the walls of your exterior self... Were those walls to come down you would feel the same connection from the night before last."

He then shakes his head gently, "But I skip ahead... What did you feel as you focused on the beads?"

[Seppun Sadako]

"I found myself drawn along," Sadako says. "Not quite pulled; more like I was being shown space and invited in."

[Jihen]

He nodded, listening intently.

"And how did you respond to this invitation?"

[Seppun Sadako]

"I'm not entirely certain that I did," Sadako says. "At least, not consciously. I did follow, but I don't know that I chose to follow.

"Does that make sense to you?"

Again, the furrowed brow.

"I am not sure that it does to me."

[Jihen]

“It does.” He said with a supportive nod.

“And it doesn’t.” He quipped with a smile.

“You’re a fish learning to breathe air in one sense. It’s bound to feel foreign.”

He smiled, “But I assure you… with a mind like yours, you won’t be flailing wildly on the shore too long. And you’re bound to look better while doing it.”

[Seppun Sadako]

Sadako smiles in return.

"That's kind of you to say," she says. "I'm not sure the extent of its truth, though. There are a lot of fisher-folk at court this year, after all."

[Jihen]

“And plenty of fishy people as well.” He replied with a smile.

“But as I displayed earlier… I’ve got pretty good senses.”

He taps his nose.

“And there’s no fishiness lingering in the air right now.”

He pauses and looks up, “Unless you had some for dinner.”

He smiles warmly in jest.

[Seppun Sadako]

"I probably should eat at some point," Sadako says. "I don't think I have since this morning."

Her stomach takes the chance to rumble.

"I see I am not alone in the opinion."

[Jihen]

“Oh my… Lady Seppun. Fasting is only fasting when we do it on purpose. Otherwise we’re just starving ourselves.” He replied with a friendly tone.

He then asked, “Would you like company for a meal?”

[Seppun Sadako]

"I would," Sadako says, "but I would have to be rude to such a companion, given the ongoing demands of duty."

She gestures to the paperwork.

"I can put this down, but I would swear it comes from rabbits, so swiftly does it make more of itself."

[Jihen]

“It must be even worse when spring comes then. I hear that is documents’ mating season.” He replied.

“Members of my sect have been known to be excellent readers… assisting many a noble with the extermination of pesky paperwork.”

He tilted his head, “I was reading earlier today as a matter of fact. Our conversation the other day and the omens in the sky led me to search the Ikoma libraries for references of omens tied to plague and other calamities. I noticed that a fair number of tomes on the subject were being used as well…”

[Seppun Sadako]

"I am not surprised by this," Sadako says. "It has been somewhat in vogue among the shugenja at court the past couple of days."

[Jihen]

“I see.” He said thoughtfully.

“We monks sometimes are a bit behind on the fashion of the day.”

He chuckled, “Or very very far in front. I think one day a great many of everyone here will be sporting a similar look to us.”

He then bows, “But the offer remains either way. Whatever I can do to ease the load Lady Seppun bears, I will gladly do.”

[Seppun Sadako]

"Jihen-san," Sadako says, "simply being able to talk to you is a great ease. And if I can master this discipline of which you speak, it will be a significant help for my work."