(Day 4, EA) Back In The Saddle Again

[Shinjo Monkhbaatar]

"So you would like to be part of the legion, just not part of a standardized legion military unit," he guesses. "That seems preferable to me as well. I wonder if the legion even has a sizeable cavalry unit?"

[Matsu Kogo]

"So you would like to be part of the legion, just not part of a standardized legion military unit," he guesses. "That seems preferable to me as well. I wonder if the legion even has a sizeable cavalry unit?"

Her brow furrows. "Yes, precisely. Most individuals are not comfortable with the warcats. I could be part of a Matsu family unit. It I am unsure if that is...best." She thinks for a moment. "I am not sure. Perhaps we could ask another of my kinsmen. They might know more. "

She lays her head back on his back and then starts, realizing how comfortable she has become and how much she has shared. "You are a very easy person to talk to Shinjo-san. If you were a Scorpion, I would be worried. "

[Shinjo Monkhbaatar]

"You are easy to talk to ass well Matsu-san. I'm enjoying my time with you a great deal. My times with you have been among the most pleasant I've had since returning to the empire."

[Matsu Kogo]

"You are easy to talk to ass well Matsu-san. I'm enjoying my time with you a great deal. My times with you have been among the most pleasant I've had since returning to the empire."

She is grateful for having her cheek against his back to hide her blushes. "I have also enjoyed our time together. You have both challenged me and set me at my ease. It is a compelling combination. "

[Shinjo Monkhbaatar]

"Your curiosity draws me further into the world, helping me to better understand myself and my place in it. I think by spending time with you I become a better person, and I'm thankful for the opportunity. And then I come to understand you little by little by finding out the things that interest you by your questions. It's a whole new experience in learning about another person."

[Matsu Kogo]

If her cheeks got any brighter or any hotter, she suspected she would set fire to his clothes. "You do me too much honor Shinjo-san. The goodness you notice, I suspect, was always within you. I am just a recipient of it. Therefore, it is more noticeable when I am around. "

[Shinjo Monkhbaatar]

He could feel the warmth, and smiled at that. "Well then, you must have a gift for bringing out the best in people," he replies. "Something about wanting to earn your respect or admiration I would guess. What other gifts do you have, I wonder?"

[Matsu Kogo]

He could feel the warmth, and smiled at that. "Well then, you must have a gift for bringing out the best in people," he replies. "Something about wanting to earn your respect or admiration I would guess. What other gifts do you have, I wonder?"

She lifts her face up and takes a deep breath. "I suspect I could light a fire at this moment with my cheeks. Is that a gift?" She jokes.

[Shinjo Monkhbaatar]

"It could be in different circumstances. If I wanted tea that would be very useful." He laughs at the Matsu's observation.

[Matsu Kogo]

"It could be in different circumstances. If I wanted tea that would be very useful." He laughs at the Matsu's observation.

She laughs. "I suspect you have a gift for seeing the bright side to everything."

[Shinjo Monkhbaatar]

"I may not be able to see the bright side of everything, but I do certainly try to find it. It's not too bad a habit to have, honestly. Hopefully that will rub off on as many people as I meet."

[Matsu Kogo]

"I may not be able to see the bright side of everything, but I do certainly try to find it. It's not too bad a habit to have, honestly. Hopefully that will rub off on as many people as I meet."

She smiles. "No it is not. But I suspect for many people, seeing the bright side of things requires cultivating hope. Hope in change and possibility. And for some, that may seem like too far to stretch or too scary to try. I suspect this is what causes others to fear change. Change brings hope, but it also brings fear. It brings the possibility of loss back into reality. If nothing changes, some might reason, then at least things do not get worse. But it is a false reasoning."

[Shinjo Monkhbaatar]

"My philosophy on that is change is going to happen no matter what we want. Choosing Fear over hope is just letting the sin of a samurai into your life. Don't give it the chance," he says with a shrug. "Why fear when you can hope."

[Matsu Kogo]

"My philosophy on that is change is going to happen no matter what we want. Choosing Fear over hope is just letting the sin of a samurai into your life. Don't give it the chance," he says with a shrug. "Why fear when you can hope."

She nods. "There is wisdom in what you say Shinjo-san. Fear, whether on the battlefield or off, cripples one and leaves one defenseless. It is a thing that kills while one is still alive. "

[Shinjo Monkhbaatar]

"Not that hope can't be dangerous in and of itself, it can blind you to the more dangerous or unpleasant things in life. But I prefer to simply acknowledge them and move on. No point in dwelling," he says.