(D6 LM Open) - Working the Fields

[Togashi Udo]

"I would tell you. It is a Unicorn issue, and, of course, I am blessed to be in the wrong place at the right time, like with the orochi. Or perhaps I am in the right place? It is hard to know."

[Yasuki Tomonaga]

Tomonaga nodded, accepting the answer easily.

"Huh." Tomonaga said. "That definitely sounds like a monk question. I'm not sure I'm equipped to handle it." He chuckled. "But... maybe the difference between being in the right place, and the wrong place, is if you're able to do anything about it? If I'd been out there when the orochi came, well..." He smiled wryly. "But fortunately, the right people were there. In the right place." He looked over at Udo. "Does that sound right, Udo-san?"

[Togashi Udo]

"It does... I'd imagine this is all a goat climbing a mountain."

He glances at Tomonaga to see if there's any comprehension. "It looks very precarious, particularly when you know they have hooves -- they don't seem equipped. But, in the end, they get where they are going without so much as a hitch. The goat is surefooted, not the man who watches it."

[Yasuki Tomonaga]

There was not. Tomonaga blinked. "A... goat?" He repeated.

After Udo finished, the blank look had only faded slightly. "Ummm... I'm sorry, Udo-san, but I think you're going to need to walk me through that a bit more. Who is the watcher, and who is the goat? The goat isn't a Unicorn woman again, is it? We were supposed to stop doing that." He joked.

[Togashi Udo]

Udo chuckles. "I can't say who the watcher and the goat are... Have you ever lost yourself in thought while walking in a crowd and, despite not paying attention, managed to avoid walking into people? Sometimes when I speak, it is like that."

He pauses thoughtfully. "Though, perhaps this time I walked into someone, seeing as you misunderstood."

[Yasuki Tomonaga]

"That one I get." Tomonaga said agreeably. "And I wouldn't worry too much about it. I probably just wasn't watching where I was going."

His brow furrowed as he considered a little longer. "Well, I guess I'd hope that you're the goat, in that first metaphor. But that doesn't seem right, because then you'd be at ease. You know your hooves are steady, or whatever. I guess I hope it's more like that, and not like when you're watching a play, and you know something terrible's gonna happen, but you can't warn the person in the play, of course." He took a breath. "I never liked that kind of thing."

[Togashi Udo]

"You do seem like the type that would warn someone, Tomonaga-sama. It is a good quality to have. Not all would do so. Most who aren't on stage aren't willing to make a scene, no matter the cost."

[Yasuki Tomonaga]

"Well..." Tomonaga shifted a little. "I mean, choosing between helping someone or avoiding embarrassment seems like it should be an easy choice. It's not really in my nature to choose something that leads to someone else's pain, if it can be avoided." He smiled at Udo. "And doing nothing is a choice too, isn't it? That sounds like the sort of thing a monk would know."

[Togashi Udo]

Udo stared at him incredulously. "Did you really just ask a monk to talk about nothingness? I shall give you a moment to reconsider before I answer." He let a smile slip through.

[Yasuki Tomonaga]

Tomonaga's expression became one of exaggerated shock. "Wait, no, I take it back!" He said, breathing an equally exaggerated sigh of relief a moment later.

"Still..." Tomonaga said, his expression returning to its usual cheerfulness. "I mean, you'd do the same, right? If you saw something coming that you had the power to stop, even if it was awkward? Of course." He answers his own question. "As I'd expect from someone who fought an orochi, and gave good advice to a Yasuki he'd just met." He stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Although I did give you sake..."

[Togashi Udo]

"The scales are balanced, it is of no concern. Yes, I would help someone... but as Doji Fukawa said to me the other day, people expect the Togashi to levitate and have lasers for eyes. You cannot ask one of the ise zumi for the time of day and expect the same answer as from another samurai."

[Yasuki Tomonaga]

"Wouldn't that be something..." Tomonaga muttered, amused. "Well, even if you do things differently, I suppose the result is... not the same. But still good, from the sounds of it."

Tomonaga paused, rubbing his hands together. "This is harder than I remembered." He said. From the looks of it, he'd been at it pretty hard, and it looked like he was in danger of blisters soon, unaccustomed to the work.

[Togashi Udo]

"There is no shame in taking a break, even if it lasts for years. This is not our Duty." Udo stops working and stretches his hands to the sky. "It was, however, an interesting experience. And hopefully of some help to our friends in the Unicorn."

[Yasuki Tomonaga]

"Right." Tomonaga said with a glance at Udo, mirroring his gesture as he observed it. "Probably a good idea. This sort of thing wears you out pretty quickly, huh?" His expression turned thoughtful for a few moments as he considered that.

"Maybe." Tomonaga chuckled, looking at his handiwork. Actually, it didn't look half bad. "I'd certainly be happy to help out the Unicorn. They're a good sort, and I hope that they have a bright future with the rest of us. Speaking partially on a personal level, of course." He said with a grin. "But also clan to clan."

[Togashi Udo]

"On a personal level, I'm sure that it will. It seems that each Unicorn I meet is a new blossom. The question is only which blossom will suit me best... and while I will best suit. But, alas, I lack the gift of prophecy, so the best I can do is guess."