Session Five; Training Begins

Kyuzo stepped back from the cherry tree to better see the big picture instead of focusing on the small details. He looked it over and nodded to himself. It looked real enough, he had done a fine job with shading so the tree gave the illusion of gentle motion in a breeze. It was serene. At this moment, he couldn’t think of anything that would improve upon it more than he already had today. It was good before, but now it was starting to become a tree and less a picture of a tree. He went through the motions of cleaning up his painting station wondering what he was going to do next. Kyuzo had thought running a town would be much more time consuming than it was turning out to be. With Daigotsu running construction, Matsu the guard, and Kitsuki handling the trading and income, there wasn’t much to take care of himself. On top of that, they were waiting for the bulk of their new population to arrive, so everything was just continuing as normal with very little guidance from him. The city was running smoothly and would continue to do so until they had to expand.

Expanding, that was a thought. Kyuzo had toured the town but he hadn’t seen much beyond the hill they inhabited. He knew there was a forest to the southwest, and a river that ran through the town, but besides that, he wasn’t aware of much of the countryside. There had to be rice patties somewhere. And what was beyond those? It suddenly occurred to him he hadn’t given much consideration to which way the town would expand, or how far, or even what was out there. For all he knew there was another town within a few hours travel. In addition, the Scorpion weren’t very forthcoming with information. They spoke to him with riddles and half-answers.

This isn't Writing Only what Needs to be Said

I feel the need to explain a few things when it comes to the current work I’ve been posting.

When I develop a character, I fully develop a character. Most people believe that just knowing everything about the person makes a character complete; their personality, their likes and dislikes, what drives them, and major life events. Yes, those are all important, but the character isn’t yet fully realized. Who were his or her parents? What are their names? Where did they come from? What do they think about their child? What about brothers and sisters? Names aren’t the only things you need there too. How do they feel about themselves? How do they feel about the character? What about the character’s best friends? Or the first person they fell in love with? They would know every detail about that person, from the way they looked to their favorite food.

That is how I create a character.

Yes, sometimes I discover new things as the character comes to life, as the character becomes a person. I don’t have all the answers all the time. That’s okay! It’s even okay if you don’t ask all the questions to begin with. Even my characters start with an idea, an incomplete atom waiting to combine and coalesce into this complete person.

So, with that in mind, it’s nearly impossible to incorporate every detail when introducing the character. Usually you only introduce things pertinent to the topic at hand. This means there are so many facets that will never be discovered by writing about them. They will never come up, especially if it is something the character doesn’t think is important.

I have to reign myself back from writing an itemized history, especially now when there’s so much I want to say about someone who is the main character of my current writing.

This also applies to the environment they are inhabiting. In this case, and most others' on this blog, the environment has already been developed. I rarely go over the history of the land, and only mention certain current events that deeply affect the character. The worlds that each of these stories come from are extremely in-depth, shaping the general consensus of thoughts and beliefs. And unfortunately, most of that will never be explained.

I wish I could. I honestly do. But when it comes down to it, it just doesn’t fit into the way I write, or the way I see a story going. Just know that there is more, much more than I can reveal.

Session Four; Dreams do Come True

There was a knock at Mikoto’s door and moments later she heard it slide open. She opened her eyes to see one of the house servants sitting in her doorway bowing to her. Mikoto attempted to shift onto her hip so she wasn’t laying facedown while being spoken to but a soreness she hadn’t experienced before kept her on her belly.

“Matsu-sama,” The servant girl said, “I trust you had a wonderful night?”

Mikoto groaned in response.

“We’ll make you some tea this morning. Asahina-sama is calling for everyone this morning to breakfast.”

“I’ll be there,” Mikoto groaned and brushed her hair out of her face.

The girl left, closing the door behind her. Mikoto surveyed her room; there were clothes everywhere, most of them not hers. After last night’s debacle, she wasn’t sure what was hers, what was Katsumi’s, and what was Negisa’s, so she had just grabbed everything and brought it with her back to her room. This morning she would have to sort through it and give them back to the proper owners.

Last night… wow. That was all she really could say. She had never done anything like that before. In fact, she had never done anything with a man before last night. It was an evening of new and exciting things that she would not soon forget. And Katsumi… There was a flutter in Mikoto’s chest at the thought of the Daigotsu living with her just down the hall. She was happy Katsumi had kept her waiting, it was probably one of the reasons last night was so amazing.

Session Four; A Night to Forget

Morasahi clutched the shochu bottle contemplating using it as a club with which to hit Tsuruchi. It would probably get him to stop talking. Granted, he would be on the floor, possibly bleeding from the skull, and Morasahi couldn’t guarantee he would still be alive, but that was a price she was willing to pay. And what was he going on about now? Fishing? Or Sailing? It was something about water. Whatever it was Morasahi didn’t care so she had stopped listening long ago. She was too wrapped up in her unfortunate life to give Tsuruchi even the slightest bit of interest, even for politeness’ sake.

The party had ended, but even before then Morasahi was brooding over the events of the night. She did not enjoy the bustle of social situations, even less so when she was ignored by everyone except Tsuruchi who followed her around and talked, and talked, and talked. This just wasn’t her place in life, yet there she was, amidst a crowd, feeling uncomfortable and unwanted. Now it was just her, Tsuruchi, and Asahina drinking into oblivion while Tsuruchi and Asahina argued about whatever it was they were arguing about and Morasahi contemplated all the wrongs in her life.

Session Four; Three is Company

Thoughts of caressing the white silk and seeing her mon again clouded Katsumi’s mind as she hurried back to the house she shared with the others and Asahina. Asahina had it. She had given him that small piece of her kimono when he cut it off during their duel three days ago and now kicked herself for doing so. It was so perfect and beautiful; she desperately wanted to see it again. Maybe even hold it again. No, not maybe, she definitely wanted to hold it again. To touch it and to have it. There was not another Spider sigil in all of Rokugan as flawlessly made as that one; with how it played on her mind, she was certain of it. Yanagi had agreed with her, maybe not with words, but his actions proved she was right in coveting such an exquisite piece of cloth. She was free now because he had untied her, and it took hardly any convincing on her part.

Katsumi went in the same way she had left earlier in the evening, through the backdoor. It was the closest entrance to Asahina’s room, which meant she didn’t have to go through the party to get there. This meant she didn’t have to inform Asahina she was going to be looking through his personal effects in order to find the trophy she had given him. If he still had it… That thought had not crossed her mind yet, but now it did. Katsumi’s chest tightened imagining Asahina had thrown it out, imagining she would never see it again.

Session Four; A Mantis Among Them

“Tsuruchi-san,” Soshi Meiko said sweetly, “I suggest you stop insulting the Lion.”

Tsuruchi Airo’s jaw throbbed. His mouth was numb, the kind of numbness that comes from a sudden blow where your body hasn’t recovered enough to assess where it actually hurt. He could feel his lip swelling and wanted to touch it to see if it was bleeding but didn’t want to give Matsu Mikoto the satisfaction of knowing she had wounded him. He hadn’t even said anything offensive, not that he was the offending type, but there was no cause or provocation, it just came out of no where. The last thing out of his mouth was lavish praise on the clan Matsu’s fiancé was from, the Unicorn. Then she backhanded him. She was riled up like only a Lion could get. The intense rage in her amber eyes making them look like they were on fire, wildly dancing.

“Yes,” Airo agreed, “it seems to be the best move for my life.” He wearily eyed Matsu, now wishing he was on the other side of the table by the questionable Scorpion woman rather than where he was next to the honorable Lion.

Session Four; Playing Doctor

Dew clung to Mikoto’s kimono as she waded through the field outside of town. She had woken that morning, eaten breakfast by herself, and left with a basket to find herbs and other plants that could be used in medicinal ways. She had no idea what she was really looking for, not knowing anything about medicine besides folklore and tales. It wasn’t something people studied when there were priests around who could heal with just a prayer. But she had seen Asahina patching his own wound the first day they were in the dream world and the idea planted itself in her head that it was probably something worth learning. Today she would ask Asahina to teach her, he wouldn’t be able to say no if she already had the plants. And if he did, she’d just make sure Hikaru was nearby to keep Asahina from leaving until he decided teaching her was the better idea.

Mikoto looked at her bounty. She had some circle leaved plants, some with pointed leaves, a few thin stalks of something with some sort of seed pods, a plant that was two different colors, and a branch that had berries on it. It looked like a pretty good haul, the only thing she was missing was some sort of flower, and she knew people used flowers for medicine. Mikoto inspected the area, she could always grab some cherry blossoms on the way back, but that seemed way too common of a flower to be useful. Maybe there was a bush closer to the woods that had flowers on it; she could also pick up some bark while there. Mikoto remembered a time when she was young that she had gotten sick and in order to get better they made her drink a tea made from bark, it was terrible. But if bark is part of medicine she would definitely add it to her basket.

Session Three; A Place to Belong

Anjin rubbed his eyes and sighed. The sun was about to go down, and after last night he wasn’t looking forward to the upcoming sunset. Daigotsu was going to be here soon, at least he hoped. She seemed rather concerned about keeping herself supervised and had taken precautions last night by showing up at his tent with rope and requested he tie her up. Anjin didn’t doubt she would do the same tonight, but tonight he was better prepared for whatever sort of insanity was going to possess Daigotsu. She had almost escaped last night, thank the Celestial Heavens he had someone run and fetch her brother, Yanagi, who was obviously aware of her condition. They had subdued her with a tonic which her sister, Negisa had claimed would keep her sleeping for eight hours or so. Even so, Anjin hadn’t gotten much sleep, too concerned Daigotsu would somehow break her bonds with some superhuman strength and… Who knew? The possibilities were endless. Yanagi had told him sometimes she became violent, which did nothing to calm Anjin’s nerves and only strengthened his resolve to prevent Daigotsu from doing anything of which he couldn’t handle himself.

Daigotsu and he had a long conversation this morning about her unique situation. Anjin had never heard of such a thing, but that just went to show how much he still didn’t know. There were only so many scrolls and books one could read in a lifetime, and he wasn’t even halfway through his. It wasn’t surprising he didn’t hold all the knowledge or all the answers to life. Unfortunately, because of this, and the secret nature of her madness, Anjin was at a disadvantage when it came to exuding control. He was a cripple, after all, and Daigotsu a warrior. His rope tying skills were laughable, and he wouldn’t ever be able to repeat the same move Yanagi had preformed last night before he had tied Daigotsu up again. So today he had procured a few questionable items that should prove more effective than simple rope.

Session Three; Position of Authority

Kyuzo awoke earlier than usual. Normally he rose with the sun but today it hadn’t yet crested the horizon before he stirred out of his bed. The last few days had been filled with incredible events that seemed to be compounding on one another, becoming more and more unbelievable as the week progressed. Last night he had just been told he was to be a magistrate, to take charge of an entire village. He took a deep breath and shook his head at the memory. He had no idea how to run a town, and all this responsibility was being thrust upon him leaving Kyuzo confused and a little overwhelmed. Granted, he was honored to be receiving so many blessings. It was just that it was a lot of them all at once.

He took his time dressing, considering the next course of actions he should be taking as the new head of the town. Kyuzo wanted to be sure not to dishonor himself, or those who worked under him. The group he had met several days ago, the one that kept popping up and continued to be a factor in his life, was now working for him as shogunate. He still wasn’t sure what to even make of that. They were an interesting bunch and finding a job for everyone’s ‘unique’ talents was going to be difficult. Finding talents he could use would prove to be just as difficult. Another deep breath came and went, Kyuzo attempting to calm his thoughts, it wasn’t working as well as he had expected. Feeling the need for a little serenity already, he decided to watch the sun rise.

Session Three; Lord Moon's Curse

Katsumi wriggled her wrists, straining as hard as she could to get free from the rope. She knew it was of no use somewhere in her sound mind, Yanagi had tied them and he always did make the most difficult knots. She had shown up at Kitsuki’s tent earlier that evening, before the sun had set. He was supposed to watch her tonight, but he was gone, and now that he was gone she had to get free. Kitsuki had enlisted in Yanagi’s help. That meddlesome Yanagi. No, not meddlesome, he meant the best but he didn’t know about the other people who were walking around outside. They were just waiting to take her stuff, to take Kitsuki’s stuff, maybe even Yanagi’s stuff. Katsumi had managed to scoot around the room, collecting everything Kitsuki owned and piling it on the bedroll; she was sitting on it for safekeeping. No one was going to take it while she was sitting on it. She wouldn’t let them. Now it was hers. But what about the stuff in the next tent? Or the one after that? No one was watching those things. She had to go and get them. And add them to the pile. And keep them safe. And take them as hers.

Session Three; Winning is Everything

Morasahi sifted through her traveling pack fretting over what sort of gift she was going to present to her host tonight. She hadn’t brought much along with her, she wasn’t planning on staying longer than the rest of her traveling party but now she found herself invited to a dinner with one from the Imperial family and nothing to show her gratitude for the invitation. Morasahi emptied out her bag and threw the sack itself on the ground. Nothing. It had to be something good, something unique; you couldn’t just give anything to someone of such high status. Something that she highly valued wouldn’t work either, it would come across as an insult because who was she to offer an Otomo a worn and loved item like her Go set? She was nobody.

She racked her brain, there had to be some bit of knowledge in there that could give her a footing for this situation. She had studied heraldry, and although she didn’t know family lines past the last few generations, maybe there was some insight she had overlooked. Otomo… Mainly compromised of tacticians, something she could relate to; that didn’t help. Let’s see, wasn’t there a famous courtier Otomo? Yeah! What was her name? Kuri? Kimi? Otomo Kirumi! That was it. Now what? Morasahi wasn’t a courtier, and although she understood the basics of etiquette she didn‘t understand court very well, or those who attended it. A name wasn’t going to be enough to offer as a gift. There was no way she would conjure up a poem before dinner, and probably even less of a chance she would be able to recite it. She tried to imagine what people in court did. All the women and men of court standing around, playing their word games, reciting rhetoric, hiding behind their fans. That was it, their fans! It was the perfect embodiment of a courtier. It also would pair nicely as a tribute to Otomo Kirumi. Now to find a fan that suited the situation.

Session Three; Existential Lunch

Mikoto sat on the bench perplexed by Daigotsu’s behavior. Daigotsu hadn’t ever really given Mikoto an answer, but no answer was usually the polite way to say no. She hadn’t tried again, believing her charms lost on Daigotsu, but now Daigotsu had just patted her leg, touched her, and that was the opposite of no. Then she just ran off. Maybe this was some strange way the Spider played hard to get. She wasn’t even going to pretend to understand. Mikoto looked down at Hikaru, “I don’t know either.”

It wasn’t long before the little Scorpion girl came walking towards the dueling grounds. She was clutching a pin doll and although she wasn’t crying, she seemed obviously upset to Mikoto. Okay… now what? Mikoto had told Daigotsu she would keep an eye out, and she stuck to her word, she never said she would interact with the kid. Besides, she wanted to watch the events unfold, see how it worked from this side of the Realm. If they had fixed the problem on the other side, things should just fix themselves here. Yes, it was better to keep her distance for now. Just keep watching, as she vowed to do.

Session Three; A Tangled Web we Weave

The communal tent was alive with jovial voices and firelight as Katsumi passed the open flap of the doorway of the Spider’s largest tent. It had been a good day despite not taking first, it would seem. Inside she caught glimpses of youths clad in other clan’s colors, students who were bending an ear towards what the Spider could offer. She considered joining them, just for a moment, to make an appearance as the Spider that shook the Topaz Championship up, but reconsidered knowing exactly where that would lead, to too much drinking and probably a late morning the next day. Unfortunately her morning was already reserved for something of more importance than sleeping in.

She had spent two days living in Yume-do, only to be returned to Ningen-do to replay those days on the other side. She wasn’t complaining, knowing what was to come was largely a blessing, and one Katsumi didn’t take lightly. It’s just that tomorrow would be the day the little girl became lost, and after this morning she knew it was more than a dream, it was an accurate foretelling of things to come. Today was the third day of the tournament, the final day, the day she had woken in Yume-do. In the Realm of Dreams the people she found herself with had battled dark creatures coined the Noise and saved a Dragon girl from a Scorpion plot.

Session Three; A Night of Letters

“What a spectacular match,” Anjin began talking to the person closest to him which happened to be a Scorpion. The clan didn’t matter; he was speaking loud enough so all those passing could hear as well as all those filling in the seats around him that had held the entire Spider traveling party just moments before. He had always had a way with words and he liked Asahina, so a little boasting was the least he could do in order to shine a more positive light on the duelist who bested his new yojimbo, Daigotsu. He very much appreciated Daigotsu as well, she had proven to be efficient enough to reach the finals and losing to a Kakita Duelist wasn’t something to be ashamed of; it was expected to happen.

“To win the tournament is one thing; but to win it in such magnificent style is unprecedented. It’s legendary! Such deeds of heroics shall surely be spread far and wide. Poems will be spoken of this man.”

Session Two; Winning isn't Everything

Kyuzo gave Matsu one last smile as they turned towards each other, having taken their places on each side of the dueling grounds. He kept running into her as if their fates were intertwined. Since he arrived, there hadn’t been a day Matsu hadn’t made an appearance in his life, even in the gray world he had lived in the last few days, she was there. And now, out of everyone he could have faced off against in the iaijutsu tournament, it was Matsu. It was a tiny bit regretful that it had to be her; she didn’t have a chance against him when it came to iaijutsu. Not only did Kyuzo possess an almost unnatural ability for iaijutsu, he had also bore witness to Matsu’s fighting techniques in that other realm and it was safe to say that she lacked the grace and focus of katana use. He was certain she knew it too with what she had said before they took their positions. She had said her respect had grown for him over the last few days, and she believed he had great talent.

Session Two; Same Day, Different Tricks

The canvas colored roof of Morasahi’s tent greeted her when she opened her eyes. She sat up, half expecting this to be a dream, to come to her senses and be back in the gloomy world she spent the last two days. Nothing changed. She was in her sleeping kimono, covered from the waist down by her blanket, which had fallen when she sat up. There was noise all around her, coming in from the cracks where her tent brushed the ground, the sound of people talking, walking, eating, and shouting. The sound of setting up, cooking, and working. It was the sound of life, something she had missed but hadn’t known until now. The silence from the last two days along with that terrible screeching, it was gone from the world, but not from her memories. She smiled, closing her eyes and just listening to the world.

Session Two; A Childhood Lost

Mikoto had been quiet throughout the conflict between Shiba and Daigotsu. She was literally in the middle of things, making sure to be out of the way enough so she wasn’t blocking their conversation, but close enough to prevent any swings from one to the next. At least that was her hope. The Lion fought, not as often as the Crab, and more times than not it was just words being thrown around during a rowdy night drinking. It rarely led to anything. The Phoenix weren’t like that, always saying what they mean, at least that‘s what she was told. And the Spider? Mikoto really had no idea. She assumed they were constantly battling amongst themselves, they were tainted and even Lost, and the firm grasp of Jigoku surely had something to do with their violent nature. She had watched the two cautiously, until they suddenly started talking about uniforms. The fight had just died.

Session Two; Enter the Dragon

Katsumi surveyed the scene, or what remained of it. The world still stood as it had before the ogres, but their bodies faded away like all the others had. The tent was toppled. That’s right, the tent, and those bats. She glanced over towards the strange cave, sitting there where she was almost certain it hadn’t been the day before. There wasn’t any movement but never had she seen so clear of a sign on where to go next. If the bats had been causing the problems, and they still had to find the problem, then the cave was where they needed to head. Katsumi leaned her bisento against her shoulder and watched Matsu go through the motions of cleaning off her already clean blade before sliding her katana back into its sheath. Shiba was collecting her spear that was sticking out of the ground at least five feet behind where the ogre had been. And Asahina stood stringing a bow. He seemed to always be ahead of the game, or at least cresting the lead. First to run after a task, and now preparing for the inevitable fight against aerial creatures. Katsumi absently gazed at the cave, wishing she had a bow to conquer their foe with.