Dark Edge Village

Hiroji arrived at the edge of the field to wait for his teacher. The field was still muddy from the rain of the past few days and he decided to stand a bit on the side from the field, to avoid the worst of the mud.

Yue rode out to Hiroji atop of her mighty steed, Hikazume. When she arrived, she immediately dismounted from her horse and gave the man a deep bow. "Ohayou goziamasu, Hiroji-dono." She gave him a soft smile. "It was an honor to battle with you at my side."

Hiroji responds to the deep bow. "Good morning Liu Yue-san." He gives a nervous smile himself. "The honour should be mine, you fought bravely and greatly." He nods. "Your tetsubo technique truly is impressive." he adds sheepishly.

The Shinjo let out a small chuckle. "Hai! That was the demonstration of my technique." She looked back to her horse and then to the Crab. "Do you need me to elaborate on the proper technique for mounting a horse, Hiroji-dono?"

Hiroji nods, somewhat embarrassed. "Yes, my experience with horses has been very brief, beginning at the basics would be good."

"Balance is the most important part, Hiroji-dono." She went up to the horse, secured her foot in the stirrup, grabbed the horn, and then hefted herself onto the horse. "You want to be certain that you will not fall. If Hikazume decides to charge off, you want to be able to stay on." She wagged the reins in her hand. "You want to encourage her not to charge off. However, it is always best to be safe."

Hiroji nods. "Yes, balance and certainty, this I understand."

Yue reversed her earlier motion as part of her dismount. "Is there something you do not understand, Hiroji-dono?"

Hiroji nods. "Controlling the horse itself. I have found that to be problematic in the past."

"Do you know how to direct her speed?" Yue reached down and tapped her calves. "You need to squeeze your legs together to get a horse to move."

Hiroji frowns and shakes his head. "No, like I said, controlling the horse is what I am not familiar with. Speed, the reins, I have not much experience with these things."

Yue cupped her chin. "I direct my horse intuitively," she admitted, "In battle, we are of one being." She shook her head. "It is important to not give conflicting orders. Otherwise, you will confuse the horse."

Hiroji seemed puzzled. "Conflicting orders?"

"Amateur riders often fiddle with the reins too much, Hiroji-dono." Yue shrugged. "There are many examples."

He nods. "Ah."