Sadako's Ring (D9 ME)

[Jihen]

The alcove Jihen found himself in was modest but serene, a simple space adorned with a low wooden table and a single unlit lantern. Jihen sat cross-legged on a woven mat, his posture straight yet unassuming, the folds of his dark, unadorned robes pooling neatly around him. The faint scent of pine and incense hung in the air, mingling with the crisp bite of winter seeping through the shoji screen cracked just enough to reveal the garden beyond.

The monk’s gaze was fixed on a small garden beyond the inner wall of the Tenshu, yet his eyes seemed to look beyond it, unfocused and contemplative. A steaming cup of green tea rested untouched on the table before him, its warmth forming ephemeral wisps of vapor in the chill air. His hands rested lightly on his knees, the faintest flicker of movement as his thumb traced an invisible circle...a habitual gesture of introspection.

Though winter’s grip was firm, the alcove radiated a quiet harmony, a stark contrast to the intrigue and tensions bubbling elsewhere in the court. It was a refuge for Jihen, but also a vantage point, a place to observe the shifting balance of power and fate that would soon unfold within the halls of the daimyo’s estate

[Seppun Sadako]

A Miharu passes by Jihen's position--or begins to, but, seeing him, stops and positions himself to block egress from the alcove.

Two breaths later, the reason why becomes clear as Seppun Sadako steps into view, a sheaf of papers in her hand as she goes along.

She stops, noting the changes, and then says to the Miharu, "It's alright. He is known to me. And now that I see him, I think I will speak with him.

The Miharu steps aside, allowing his master to pass, and another falls in directly beside, the two blocking ingress into the alcove.

"Ever the center of calm, Jihen-san?"

[Jihen]

"At least the appearance of it." He said with a smile.

He gestured to the tea which he had made for himself and was enjoying in the chill of the evening.

"Would you like to share in that circle of calm? If you have a moment to spare, that is..."

[Seppun Sadako]

"I could use it," Sadako says, and she moves to take the seat opposite Jihen, setting her papers aside.

[Jihen]

He pulls out a cup from his belongings, cleaning it briefly with the cloth on the table and poured the woman a cup of warm tea.

He would let her take a sip and enjoy the warmth for a moment before infringing on her desire for a moment of peace.

"I hope not all distractions are an utter evil..." He said with a smile, hearkening back to her use of the word in their last meeting.

[Seppun Sadako]

"Even if they are not in themselves," Sadako replies after a couple of swallows of tea, "they keep enough good from being done that they may well be called so. That there are as many of them as birds in the sky, it seems, is not a help."

She takes a deep breath.

"Something about herding cats comes to mind."

[Jihen]

"Have you asked the Lion for help? I bet a Lion general would be quite good at herding cats... that's their main job is it not?" He said with a smile.

"What kind of distractions does the Lady Seppun normally find less evil than others?"

[Seppun Sadako]

"The Lion are doing all they can here," Sadako says, "as I think most of us here are."

She takes another drink from her tea, takes and slowly releases a deep breath.

"It is useless to long after what cannot be had," she continues. "And I should not distract myself with that longing, certainly not given how much must be done. Just trying to keep my sentinels fresh is a task, indeed. They are good and loyal, all, and I love them as my kin--because they are my kin. I trust them with my life, clearly. That I cannot do more for them grieves me."

[Jihen]

Jihen smiled wanly at the remark on longing and family… For him longing for family had been a source of some distraction over the years. For the two ideas to be presented together in such proximity challenged his memory of deepest contemplation in his past. The Four Temples were his home; but they were the only home he had known. He had always wondered how blood ties would differ from intellectual ones…

His smile turned genuine as he replied, “What more could be expected of the Lady Seppun? She has defended her family’s name and helped to hold us all together in these days of relative darkness…Shinsei told us: There cannot be two suns in the heaven…; and yet today we don’t have even one.”

He sets his cup down softly, “Your kin see the burden you bear for them… and your love for them in your willingness to bear that burden. They… knowing you love them… could not ask for a greater honor than this.”

He adds, “It is not just your kin who see this. You are respected among the court… your efforts valued and trusted. There are few here so respected. We are all fortunate to have you here.”

[Seppun Sadako]

There is a touch of blush on the Lady Seppun's face.

"Jihen-san flatters," she says. "But that doesn't mean it's a bad thing to hear."

She sighs, looks out at the garden visible through the slightly opened panel.

"There cannot be two suns, no, but there are nights with neither sun nor moon. They pass, as will the present darkness, but we are children in this night, and the fire will either burn low or, fed too much, blaze up and consume the house. Or so I have concerns."

[Jihen]

"I praise... not flatter." He replies honestly.

"I believe the intent of those two things to be rather different. One uplifts the other, and the latter uplifts the self. You deserve praise, and I would not debase either of us with flattery... Though the temptation to be thought well of you is strong even for a humble monk like me." He smiled softly.

Then turning to reflect upon her latter statement, "Fire, ne? Held in a hand you trust, it is your ally. Held in a hand you do not trust, it is your enemy. Learn the way of fire and you learn the way of the world. It is fire that also refines and purifies. When placed under heat, people tend to show their current state of quality. The cruel appear crueler, the dutiful more dutiful... Some become better and some break... Perhaps this period of night where we are all huddled around the fire is the Heaven's way of letting us all see its intent."

[Seppun Sadako]

"I can hope to see clearly, and that the dawn will come soon," Sadako says, and she takes another sip of tea.

"But who will bend, softened by the heat; who will emerge with stronger temper; and who will shatter upon contact with the cold are all uncertain. For the last, who the shrapnel will hit when the shattering happens is also a concern."

Another sip of tea.

"Just so you know, I do esteem you, Jihen-san," she adds. "I'd not confide nearly so much in you, did I not."

[Jihen]

"We must trust in the hearts of the people of the empire... I do not think we are so lost just yet." He replies with a smile.

"There's plenty of reason for hope for the lot of us."

He offered another wan smile and bowed his head in gratitude, "I'm much too young and foolish to be 'esteemed' by anyone, least of all the lovely Lady of the Seppun. Your praise, however, does as I say... It lifts me up. Makes me want to be the type of person people can confide in. Someone who could assist you and your family for many years to come... Someone worth the generosity your family has shown to me for so long."

[Seppun Sadako]

"'Lovely,' Jihen-san?" Sadako asks. "Now I know you're flattering."

She manages a grin. It's not even really that wry.

"Again, not that I mind hearing it."

She takes yet another sip of tea.

"I should ask how you have been faring," she says. "I seem always to turn to you, but mine cannot be the only heart that could use easing."

[Jihen]

"Your name carries on the whispers of the court for just such loveliness. And even if that were not the case, the one advantage of being young is that my eyes are not dim enough to miss the beauty of the world around me. It would be hard to miss yours even if one was as old as Kanehime-sama." He replied warmly.

"You are kind to ask how I am faring... I am... working." He replied with a thoughtful look.

[Seppun Sadako]

"Oh?" Sadako says, setting her cup on the table.

"Does the Abbot has you on a special project, then? Or is this an independent study you've undertaken?"

[Jihen]

"Master Chou-sin has granted me considerable freedom in my time here... Both intellectual and political as it were." He replied.

"Part of my work has been trying to understand some of his intentions with him being somewhat reticent to be direct in telling me those reasons... I find myself questioning those decisions more and more after watching the events of yesterday's court."

He paused for a moment before continuing, "But beyond that, I have been much more concerned with a number of portents and records that I have read in the libraries that were brought to my mind after the earthquake last week... As with many things like this, the answers are not the clearest until we spend energies within ourselves to unlock them..."

He asked, "Do you know if the imperial priests and diviners have been concerned with a new star waxing in the sky?"

[Seppun Sadako]

Sadako has stilled her face to equanimity. Jihen has seen the look before on Seppun faces.

"Yesterday's events are best left in the past," she says, and her voice is level.

Then she takes a breath, visibly, and says "We do not think it is a star, as such. A couple of my colleagues think it might be a comet, but given the needs of travel, we do not have the full astrological record here with us, and none of the contingent specializes in comet-lore."

[Jihen]

"The references I could pick from the Ikoma libraries are not the kind that are mentioned in polite company unfortunately. As such... it has been a source of some concern for me personally and I have tried to combat it the best I can by instilling confidence in the heavens and the imperial families."

He bows his head, "I hope my efforts will be of some use... and as I learn more I will try and share those insights with the proper authorities as quickly as possible."

[Seppun Sadako]

"Please do," Sadako says. "And thank you, not only for the tea, but for what you do.

"Court has been better with you in it."