Guess who's back. Back again (D6 EA)

[Doji Yoshino]

Snacks! Poochi! Tea!

These three things ensured a lovely break away from the rigour of the day. Yoshino had reserved a table and arrived early. She'd ordered tea and asked the staff to have a general selection of snacks to bring in. For two. However, the arrival of a dog seeking some petting was welcome. She made a fuss over the dog, giving it plenty of back and tummy rubs.

[Doji Nadeshiko]

Nadeshiko enters, and it's a moment before she joins Yoshino, who gets a bow. "Thank you for joining me, Yoshino-san, especially on such short notice." Now that she's here for pleasure instead of duty the woman expects she'll also get to give the big puppy scritches, and her delight at that thought, combined with her excitement for meeting Yoshino, has her practically beaming.

[Doji Yoshino]

It was incredibly, incredibly rare for Yoshino to receive such clear warmth and friendliness from another Doji. There were only a few possibilities. It could be Nadeshiko didn't know about her reputation or possibly that she didn't care. It could be that Yoshino had started to repair her family's reputational damage through her participation. Or it could be that Nadeshiko was up to something.

Yoshino felt a little cautious.

That didn't stop her returning the bow of course. She left the dog be so she could sit properly. "Thank you too, Nadeshiko-san. I have been enjoying your pieces throughout the competition. How do you do?"

[Doji Nadeshiko]

"Thank you too, Nadeshiko-san. I have been enjoying your pieces throughout the competition. How do you do?"

"I find myself well, all things considering." Nadeshiko takes a seat across from her clan-mate, offering her hand for Adzuki to sniff. Poor dog probably thinks she hates him. "And yourself?" There's a sincerity to the way she speaks -- the woman, while Doji-trained, seems a bit less formal than their fellows, even as she's trying to be.

[Doji Yoshino]

"A little better today, and this is nice. May I ask what it was like studying at the Academy?" By which she of course meant studying with the Kakita.

[Doji Nadeshiko]

"A little better today, and this is nice. May I ask what it was like studying at the Academy?" By which she of course meant studying with the Kakita.

"Yes, of course!" She takes a moment to settle in, getting comfortable before continuing -- "It's beautiful. The Academy's built right into Kyuden Kakita -- whose training gardens are always flowering with cherry blossoms --" The woman sighs at that, "And of course, the art... everything is ordered meticulously, chosen meticulously, to give one a feeling of awe, yet blends so naturally with the scenery you'd think it had grown there together with the flowers. It's more rustic than Kyuden Doji but that adds to its charm."

As her tea's delivered she takes a moment.

"Of course, our teachers were very tough on us," Nadeshiko continues after fondly remembering one particular garden. "We were expected to find our limits, test them, then move beyond them. It could be grueling at times, especially for the younger students. Yet once one found their footing, there was a pleasure to it."

"And what of your training, Yoshino-san?"

[Doji Yoshino]

"I would like to visit one day. It sounds beautiful and very serene."

Yoshino nods in thanks for the arrival of tea.

"I trained with the Doji Courtiers at the Doji Academy in Shizuka Toshi. It's... very remote. Serene, yet controlled. Importance was placed on all our actions. What was said and what was not said. Even what was not done. It taught me to think... oftentimes too deeply." She smiles ruefully. "You'd probably like it, as it can certainly be called rustic too, but we had few visitors. I learned tea ceremony there. Would you like one?"

[Doji Nadeshiko]

"I trained with the Doji Courtiers at the Doji Academy in Shizuka Toshi. It's... very remote. Serene, yet controlled. Importance was placed on all our actions. What was said and what was not said. Even what was not done. It taught me to think... oftentimes too deeply." She smiles ruefully. "You'd probably like it, as it can certainly be called rustic too, but we had few visitors. I learned tea ceremony there. Would you like one?"

"Yes -- to be a courtier requires mindfulness and self-restraint, as well as clarity and perception, all combined with charm. I suspect your training was, at times, as intense as our own at the Academy."

Nadeshiko nods along as she listens, sipping her tea. As Yoshino offers a tea ceremony the woman perks up -- "Thank you; I would love that." She smiles lightly. "I could bring my tea cup -- if that would not be too improper? It made me quite happy to see another entry incorporating kintsugi."

[Doji Yoshino]

There's a bob of her head in agreement and understanding. "Likely in some ways. The sword and the fan, ne?"

She smiles for a moment as Nadeshiko accepts her offer. "I was contemplating now, yet another time would be equally as nice." The smile grows as she looks down to the table. "I quite like kintsugi. It's an elegant way to retain damaged keepsakes."

[Doji Nadeshiko]

"I quite like kintsugi. It's an elegant way to retain damaged keepsakes."

"Whenever you've the time, let's enjoy tea." Nadeshiko beams. She's starting to get very excited; there's palpable energy practically oozing off the woman. "It is! Are you familiar with the philosophy of kintsugi? It's beautiful, of course, but the thought behind the method also warms the heart." There's a small smile she hides by lowering her head.

[Doji Yoshino]

It was a little overwhelming. Nonetheless Yoshino was happier to have it than the cold shoulder she often got from other Doji.

"Another time then."

She nods at mention of the philosophy of kintsugi. It had been something she'd learned about. Yoshino was quickly learning that flowery language was a state of being for Nadeshiko.

"It is uplifting. I've always liked it as an example of wabi-sabi."

[Doji Nadeshiko]

"It is uplifting. I've always liked it as an example of wabi-sabi."

"Yes," Nadeshiko sighs out warmly, happy to be with someone who understands. "The Academy focused heavily on the transience of life in relation to our iaijutsu training -- but I think we could all learn to appreciate that which is imperfect. Kintsugi gives us a path to feel compassion not just for the everyday objects we rely on, but for ourselves. We humans are just as flawed, just as prone to breakage, often due to circumstances entirely out of our own control, and in some ways can be made more beautiful by healing those wounds... or... that is my opinion, anyway."

She takes a small sip of her tea, realizing a little too late she'd just babbled so much without giving poor Yoshino a moment to speak.

[Doji Yoshino]

"Yes, and surely this is a reflection of the Empire too. Its history, conflicts, crises and composition. Is there an inherent balance in being unbalanced? Food for thought." Yoshino had a sip of her own tea. She tried to avoid becoming too philosophical. She wasn't a priest. On the other hand, some metaphysical consideration was necessary for truly meaningful art. Anyone could see a landscape and try to capture it in a painting, song or poem. There was a certain wonder to that purity of thought. However, art that conveyed something... that was sophistication. Whether that was the sense of wonder the view of the landscape generated in the viewer or how it reminded them of home. These were deeper emotions that carried more wait than a passing observed beauty. One could be appreciated and the other could be felt on a human level.

She grasped this concept, they both did, but it was difficult to put into words. Yoshino preferred creating or viewing art over debating the nature of art or beauty.

"I'm fortunate to be creating art here. Usually my daily tasks are much more practical. I scribe letters and reports for higher ranking samurai. It has been... a rewarding experience. To delve more into this part of what I was taught. What do you normally do Nadeshiko-san?" By which she meant the Kakita trained woman's own regular duties.

[Doji Nadeshiko]

"I'm fortunate to be creating art here. Usually my daily tasks are much more practical. I scribe letters and reports for higher ranking samurai. It has been... a rewarding experience. To delve more into this part of what I was taught. What do you normally do Nadeshiko-san?"

Nadeshiko nods in agreement; their empire, were it an object, would be crisscrossed with golden scars, the most recent... she stops that train of thought. "I am but a simple swordswoman. Where my lord orders me, I follow." What's left unsaid speaks volumes: she's simple rank-and-file, nothing special... so how did she get here? "This village... I do hope the tournament leaves it richer than it was found. It's a gentle sort of place, perfect for writing poetry."

[Doji Yoshino]

Nadeshiko did undoubtedly come across as a huge poetry enthusiast! Yoshino nods in agreement. "And other art besides. It's a very relaxing and nurturing place, ne?"

She cradled her tea cup in her hands.

"I wonder how the new Sapphire positions will affect the Empire."

[Doji Nadeshiko]

"I wonder how the new Sapphire positions will affect the Empire."

"It's my hope it brings us closer together." Nadeshiko seems so sure of that; her smile's sweet and gentle just contemplating the thought. "We all have our own traditions and values, but underneath what separates us, we're human. Art is ... communication. Connection. One brings themselves and all they carry to a piece, and that itself has its own interest and value, but... we all share so much more than we even realize, I think, and art can bridge that gap." Her blush settles as she takes a sip of her tea. "I am hopeful, at any rate..."

[Doji Yoshino]

The idealist and the cynic. Yoshino sipped her tea as she contemplated it. Nadeshiko's reasoning was sound, but it didn't match Yoshino's experience. "Hopeful is nice. I would depress you with my thoughts Nadeshiko-san." That art hadn't stopped the Clans killing each other for centuries. That it hadn't brought them together effectively, which instead schemes, political posturing and outside threats had been responsible for. That being human didn't seem to mean much when there was glory to win and honour to uphold.

She trembled as she quickly, awfully quickly, dismissed it from her mind. It was a dark thought, even for her.

"Those it allows to connect are fortunate."

[Doji Nadeshiko]

"Hopeful is nice. I would depress you with my thoughts Nadeshiko-san."

"I still wouldn't mind hearing them," She answers softly, and she means it.

[Doji Yoshino]

She chuckled darkly. Nadeshiko couldn't be serious.

But she was.

"My thoughts can be quite grim Nadeshiko-san. As polite and friendly as the Clans and Imperial families can seem to be with one another, the truth is that there has been conflict between us since the founding of the Empire. Since before the fall of the Kami. Art doesn't seem to have changed that, as we continue to fight now. I think the Sapphire office will do some good, but unless there are tens more recruited than there are competitors... well, I don't see it having a material impact. I was actually trained, just a little, by the Yasuki. They are very pragmatic. If changing the empire through art was a business, well, I would want much greater investment."

She shifted uncomfortably.

"This is a token effort currently. More like a sample product than a proper supply. It's... not enough to meet demand. The empire is very wide, ne?"

[Doji Nadeshiko]

"This is a token effort currently. More like a sample product than a proper supply. It's... not enough to meet demand. The empire is very wide, ne?"

Nadeshiko listens quietly; she seems to be thinking. It's a good, long moment before she answers. "I think you're right. But a little healing is better than none. A little rain can sometimes become a flood. Do you think inviting more contestants would be helpful in that regard? What would you do, Yoshino-san?"