Dark Edge Village

(expecting, but you can find your own hill)

The sun was beginning to fade, but summertime meant that there was plenty of light until well into the evening hours. Which was good, as Tomonaga wanted to be able to see.

He stood on the now familiar 'Hill with a Rock', in a little clear area near the top. He was still wearing his more casual kimono, better for traveling and exercise. And freedom of movement, which was important for kemari, unless you were really good. Despite having worn the kimono during the Otaku event earlier, a quick splash of water on his face made Tomonaga look like he'd just emerged from a day at the spa.

As he waited, he tossed the kemari ball in one hand, reacquainting himself with its wait.

The Shinjo sits atop his mount on the fields for yet another day, prepared to take another lovely young maiden from the empire for a ride. He had to admit to himself that he was enjoying this miai. Some of the ladies were certainly closer to him than others, but he was having fun getting to know and making friends with them all. So he sat and waited for the Moshi to show.

The tiny Moshi arrived at the site. She smiled at both the Yasuki and the Shinjo as she went to the Shinjo who had promised a ride on the fields. "Konban wa Shinjo sama."

"Good evening Asakiko-san!" Monkhbaatar replied, waving to her. "How are you doing today?"

Yasuki Tomonaga wrote:As he waited, he tossed the kemari ball in one hand, reacquainting himself with its weight.

Yukarin approached the hill as the she looked up at the sky, the clouds only now just starting to break up. She wore light lavender robes that reached just above her ankles.

Seeing Tomonaga further up, she smiled to herself and mounted the hill, "Good evening Tomonaga-sama. Is that a ball for that kemari game you were going to show me?"

Spotting Yukarin, Tomonaga grinned. He caught the ball one more time, this time bringing it down to hold in both hands.

"Hey, Yukarin-san. Good evening to you, too. And yes, it is. You wanna give it a try? I'll show you how it's done, first."

She set her bag down as she answered, "Well... you'll definitely need to show me first, at the least. And I am definitely interested in that part."

"Okay, sure." Tomonaga gave the ball a little toss straight up, stepping back at the same time. He gave the ball a kick, sending it back into the air, more or less upwards, about twice his height. The ball seemed light, responding easily to his kick. "So, it's a simple game. You just try to keep the ball-" He paused to kick it up again, "-in the air. You can use any part of your body except your arms. Like knees-" Another pause as he bumped it into the air with his knee, "-or even your head." He thrust upwards with his whole body, his head connecting with the ball. It seemed he miscalculated, though, as it doesn't hit quite square on, and goes off to the side.

Tomonaga gave her a sheepish smile. "Yeah, that happens a lot. Ah well, all part of it." He jogged the few steps required, picking it up and returning. He held it out to her in both hands. "You want to give it a try?"

Rather than laugh at his mistake, though, Yukarin blanched a liitle.

"That... looks like it requires a lot of coordination. Is the ball very hard? What if I trip?"

Tomonaga shook his head, still smiling. "No, it just takes a bit of practice. I'm not all that coordinated." Indeed, while he seemed reasonably athletic, he didn't move with the grace that so many bushi did. "Just start by kicking it once, and catching it."

What else? Oh right. "No, it's not hard, see?" He patted the ball a few times with one hand; it sounded at least partially cloth, with perhaps some wood. "And if you fall down..." He shrugged. "Well, I'll help you up again, and I won't laugh." He was grinning a bit now, though, as he held the ball out to her again.

Yukarin blushed a little and nodded, reaching out and taking the ball. "So... just try kicking it, hm? I will try to make sure I don't kick it down the hill at least."

She tosses the ball up in the air before kicking the ball up in the air. It goes straight up, watching it go just above her head before falling to the grass. She smiles and folds her hands together.

"Wonderful! It was an elegant arc."

Tomonaga waved a hand at this. "If it goes down the hill, I'll just go and get it."

He watched the ball go up, and then back down. "Hey, nice job!" He said brightly. Better than I did my first time. That one did go down a hill. My brother made me go get it."

He bent down, retrieving the ball, handing it back to her. "Try kicking it up and catching it a few times. Then maybe we can do it together."

Yukarin nods and takes the ball again. Kicking the ball off her foot it hits her square in the face and she gives an oof, falling back. The ball rolled gently away from her as she lay in the grass, eyes spinning as she saw pretty stars dancing above her head against the spinning cloudy sky.

I promised I wouldn't laugh, I promised I wouldn't laugh... Tomonaga winced, mostly succeeding in his resolution as the young woman toppled backwards. "Yukarin-san!" He said, startled.

He reacted quickly, moving over to her side, and kneeling down next to her. He leaned over her, peering down at her face, his expression a little amused, but mostly concerned. "Hey. You okay?" He said, giving her a tiny smile.

"I thought it was daytime mister spirit-sama~ But all the pretty stars~"

She gave a little giggle, head not quite cleared yet.