Hedging Bets [D3 LM OPEN]

[Yasuki Tomonaga]

Like many Crab, Tomonaga didn't give devotions all that often. It wasn't especially practical, after all, and if one wanted something to happen, it was generally better to go out and try to do that thing.

On the other hand, the conversation with the Bayushi the night before had left him wondering a bit. Math was one thing, but fate was another. He was already doing his best to account for the one. Perhaps it would be a good idea to account for the other.

And so, Tomonaga came to the shrine to offer his devotions. Somewhat unfamiliarity, with his lack of practice. But still honestly, his handsome features earnest as he knelt before the small shrine.

[Togashi Udo]

Udo had come to the shrine to pay his respects, but afterward found the location quite pleasant. He walked the land for a bit, try to feel out the right place to pass the morning.

He saw the Crab and nodded to him, acknowledging his presence but not disturbing him.

Finding it near a small tree, he sat down and began to meditate.

(OOC: Meditating can be as long or as short as necessary, if someone wants to chat.)

[Yasuki Tomonaga]

Tomonaga acknowledged the nod with a nod of his own, and added a smile for good measure. However, seeing the monk take a seat under a nearby tree, Tomonaga decided not to bother him, instead continuing with his own devotions.

However, as unfamiliar as Tomonaga was with this sort of thing, he could nevertheless recognize an expert. Sure, the Togashi was meditating instead of praying, but there were similarities. Tomonaga studied the Togashi for a minute, his light brown eyes sharp. He adjusted his pose to better match the Togashi's meditative one as he resumed his devotions. Such as they were.

[Togashi Udo]

(Waves hand; time passes)

Udo stands up and walks over to the Crab and stands nearby, watching the clouds drift through the sky. There was never a good reason to rush someone through their devoations.

[Yasuki Tomonaga]

Oh, thank goodness. A reason to stop. Tomonaga quickly rose as the Togashi approached.

"Togashi-san. Fine day, isn't it?" Tomonaga said, his tone cheerful. "Yasuki Tomonaga. It's a pleasure to meet you." He bowed.

[Togashi Udo]

Udo bowed back, lower than the other man had. "Yasuki-sama, this one is Togashi Udo. Have you had your rice?"

[Yasuki Tomonaga]

"Mmm, yeah, I have, thanks. Yourself?" Tomonaga returned the polite greeting automatically.

Leaning down, Tomonaga brushed off his knees, a little dusty from kneeling on the ground. "So. Third day of the miai, eh? How are you finding things? You Togashi have a reputation as being adaptable, so I'd guess you're doing ok. And the Unicorn seem pretty friendly."

[Togashi Udo]

"I have."

"I am finding it quite nice, and I am enjoying myself. I must admit, though, that you are one of the first men I'm speaking to this whole time. I suppose that's in keeping with the event itself. What about yourself?"

Udo pushes the straw hat off his head so his companion can see his face more easily. "Are the Crab enjoying the miai?"

[Yasuki Tomonaga]

Tomonaga's eyebrows went up just a tiny bit. "I see." He said, just barely not adding 'no wonder you're enjoying yourself'. "I've met a fair mix. Unicorn and other, men and women." He shrugged. "It's been nice."

At the next question, Tomonaga hesitated just a little. "I can only speak for myself, really. I think my clanmates have been enjoying themselves, but I don't know." He smiled. "I'm the talkative one."

He continued to demonstrate that fact. "But, since I am speaking for myself, yeah. The Unicorn are great hosts. Some of the things they do take a bit of getting used to, and they're certainly varied, but they put in the effort. I respect that." He nodded.

[Togashi Udo]

Udo nodded as Tomonaga spoke.

"They are a bit odd, but I'm a Togashi," he said, as if that explained it all.

"It is nice to meet someone talkative. I am not myself, but I have been making a practiced effort while here. I had my fortune read by a Moshi on the first day, and I was told to trust others and gather friends. Where once I might have sat in silence, I decided to approach."

A small smile came to his face. "And a bit of an effort to, how shall I say, speak less like a monk?"

[Yasuki Tomonaga]

"Oh yeah?" Tomonaga smiled at the Togashi. "Well, I certainly think that gathering friends and approaching people sounds like a good thing. Especially at a miai, but just in general. So, I'm happy to be a part of it. Oh, and let me know if the fortune seems to be working for you." Maybe he should try that next...

"Speak less like a monk, huh?" Tomonaga echoed. For a moment he looked confused, but then he smiled at the... monk. "I think I understand what you mean. Although I haven't known very many monks myself." He chuckled. "Although hey, if you need lessons, the Crab are good. I can't think of many who sound less like monks than we do."

[Togashi Udo]

Udo laughed softly. "A practical Clan for pragmatic reasons. The Dragon are blessed by the Crab, for without the Crab we would not so easily live at peace in the mountains. This one doesn't forget the many things those I'll never meet do for me," he says with a small bow.

"As to the fortune, I cannot vouch for its accuracy, but it certainly has changed my mindset. Words that create the future are more powerful than those that predict it, wouldn't you say?"

[Yasuki Tomonaga]

To the first, Tomonaga simply gave a solemn bow.

"Huh." He said, his expression turning interested. "There's a lot to what you say, Togashi-san. There's a lot to be said about those with real powers of divination, but to actually change things..."

He gave the Togashi a rueful smile. "You know... in fact, I might not have come here this morning, except for a talk I had with a Bayushi last night about fate, Fortunes, as in Benten and such, that sort of thing. I suppose her words changed my future, in a way." He nodded. "That certainly is like a Bayushi, eh?"

[Togashi Udo]

"Most definitely. Next you just have to figure out why she wanted to change you. Though that's a mystery you may never know. If you get your fortune told by the Moshi, you should keep it in mind." Udo seems a bit less cheerful talking about the Scorpion, but it's a subtle change.

"Would you care to take a walk? Sometimes I feel that motion helps me think."

[Yasuki Tomonaga]

"Hmmm. Maybe." Tomonaga's lips twisted in a crooked smile at the topic. "I think I'll probably have to write it off as an eternal mystery, though, I agree."

"Sure." Tomonaga nodded agreeably. He gestured for the Togashi to lead the way, his own long strides matching the pace set by the other samurai. "Is there something you're doing a lot of thinking about, Togashi-san?"