Dark Edge Village

While most of the people were off, competing at archery, Taira, accepting his limits, and sporting a headache to fell a hida, made his way to his yurt to mix up a painkiller.

Settling down in front of his yurt, he gingerly began to pick out the supplies he would need, gathering them bit by bit and collecting them in a small mortar to grind.

It would give him something to do, in the quiet of the afternoon.

While the Scorpion prepared his medication, off in a nearby field, Suki was doing some work of her own. Moving with practiced grace, the nun went through the motions of some basic, very traditional jiujutsu kata. While she was no expert, the monks of her Order required such training in the pursuit of self-discipline. After all her years with them, she could've performed each maneuver in her sleep.

Despite the sun beating down on her and the wind blowing about her hair, she continued her practice in silence. While she noted the nearby Scorpion, unless he did something to acknowledge her presence, she would act as one being politely ignored.

Taira glanced at the woman, raising an eyebrow.

It seemed she was busy though, so he shrugged, and kept building up the ground and assembled ingredients. It would be potent, but given his mental state, it wouldn't hurt.

Or that is to stay, it would go from hurting to less hurting.

Unwrapping the bandages about his head, set them aside to be discarded. Then he took the medicine he had created, mixing a little water and forming a poultice. That would go to the wound, and with it in place, fresh bandages could be wrapped, just enough to cover the bloody patch on the back of his head. It could almost pass for a headband, until subjected to additional scrutiny.

As her kata reached its end, Suki looked off toward the yurts. She'd noticed the Scorpion working on his medicines. Now that she saw they were for self-treatment, she made her way over.

"Is your task one that would be better performed by two, Scorpion-sama?" she asked, offering some small amount of assistance. Again, she wasn't a master of medicine, but the monks had taught her some of the basics.

"I believe I have it in hand."

Taira glanced at the monk, and gave a nod of greeting, his hands currently full of bandage and poultice.

"This one is Soshi Taira, magistrate's physician."

"Very well, Soshi-sama," she bowed low. "This one is Suki, of the Order of Benten in Honored Treaty City. It is a pleasure to meet you." With his refusal of assistance she wouldn't mention the wound further; not at first anyway. No reason to risk inaccurately implying that the Soshi was weak. "Being a physician is a most noble pursuit," she added respectfully. "Jurojin-kami looks fondly upon those who would aid the ill and injured."

"Well, one hopes."

She got a raised eyebrow.

"It is good to think that someone will, before all is said and done."

His movements were remarkably deft for a man who possibly had a concussion. As he tied the bandage on the back of his head, just behind his ear, on the far side from the scrape, he added, "So what brings you here, Suki-san? Overseeing? Providing advice?"

"Moreso the latter. It is not this one's place to oversee the actions of samurai. But to offer the wisdom of the Tao and encourage the pursuit of romantic love? That is something this one can do."

"Oh?"

The eyebrow arched further, if such a thing was possible.

"Encourage romantic love, eh? And when we are snatched away from one another by the nakado?"

"This one would encourage any such nakado to take Benten-kami's will into consideration. If one's job is to form marital pairings, it would surely behoove them to stay on Heaven's good side." Suki knew all too well that this wasn't always the case. There were those matchmakers that purely considered political convenience, disregarding the stances of the couple. There was little she could do about that aside from offering guidance.

"Of course, this is more to encouraging such things than just crafting auspicious pairings. The Tao teaches that in order for one to find their center when in love, they must first love themselves. This one would also hope those with questions about their place in the universe to find their way."

"Oh? So love yourself first?"

He tired off the bandage, making sure it was tight, and then began to clean his hands.

"How does one avoid egotism?"

"Most anything in excess leads one down a path of sin... or in the very least to being unbalanced. Egotism is self-love in excess. It is also loving one's self at the expense of the world around them. It is with self-discipline and compassion that we learn to love ourselves without stumbling onto the path of arrogance."

"I see."

Taira contemplated that in silence, then inquired. "Yet in love... what is greater? To love yourself or your partner? When does loving a partner instead reveal love for self? For one's own gratification?"