[D1, EM] Early Exercise

[Moto Khulun]

“I see nothing worth learning, yet,” she says honestly.

“Lion seem strong, what was this Lion like?”

[Otaku Chi-Pu]

"His name is Shimizu....Ryori-san?"

She slows Tianma down to a trot instead of a full gallop

"He had an actual Lion with him, the creature, as a pet. He must be strong and competent if he could tame one of those."

[Moto Khulun]

She widened her in eyes in surprise, “Bullshit… a real lion? Throw him over your horse nikutai he sounds like a keeper!”

“What did he look like?”

[Otaku Chi-Pu]

Tianma snorts and slows down again as Chi-Pu pulls back on the reins so she doesn't have to shout over the wind.

"He was cute, though much younger than I. You must remember Moto-san, I am old compared to most here! I am hoping to find a husband a bit closer to my own 21 years. It seems odd seeing how young everyone else is, though traditionally, Battle Maidens all take the approach I have and do not get married until their first steed is retired."

She pats Tianma on the neck as they ride

"Which isn't likely to happen soon, is it, Tianma-chan?"

Again, the horse snorts.

"Other than being young and cute, he was a little taller than me, perhaps by a hand. He had yellow hair and an athletic build. Very studious, though I had limited time to learn what all he knew or his history."

[Moto Khulun]

"Yellow hair, is that normal for the Lion? Was he pale skinned?" she asks.

[Otaku Chi-Pu]

"I never came to think to ask. He was lighter skinned than us, for certain, but not sickly pale."

As the running portion of the morning exercise had winded down, Chi-Pu now leads Tianma in a series of tight figure eight turns, alternating between using her legs and using the reins to steer the warhorse.

[Moto Khulun]

“21 is not so old, nikutai. Get you a young stallion you can ride for many seasons, get two,” she replies as she follow the Otaku.

[Otaku Chi-Pu]

Chi-Pu blushes a little at the thought.

"Hai, though I am not sure how the Empire views entertaining more than one spouse. Personally, I wish to be back in the sadle as soon as possible. Retire Tianma, get married, ride my new steed for a time until the child is weened, then back to battle."

[Moto Khulun]

“I’ll raise my brood like my foremothers, in the saddle. Get them their first sword by the time they can walk,” Khulun replies confidently.

“But think of this, our children will be born here, in their ancestral home! We will be the mothers of a new Unicorn!”

[Otaku Chi-Pu]

"Perhaps if I have a girl, I can do the same. We could ride together, and instead of being called Battle Maidens, we could be known as Battle Mothers!"

Chi-Pu laughs a little at the thought.

"Though if I have a boy, the pact the Otaku have with out steeds would not allow that."

She looks out over the grounds and her face softens, contentment washing over her.

"It is exciting to think. The first Unicorn born in this land for hundreds of years."

She pauses for a moment in her joy, words caught a little in her throat.

"M..Moto-san, do you ever think your family will wish to return to their ancestral home?"

[Moto Khulun]

She is quiet and says, “This is our home now, but if we miss the lands that gave us the strength in our bones and the fire in our blood… we keep the memory in our songs and in our hearts. We foreswore the old ways for the new.”

“The sunrise does not fret about the sunset.”

[Otaku Chi-Pu]

Chi-Pu nods and smiles at the woman.

"Well spoken. Though, I am sure if you ever wished to ride back, I and many others would be happy to take the journey with you. We are all family after all, and families stay together!"

[Moto Khulun]

“Perhaps one day, we have many kin that still wander and have yet to return,” she says with a nod.

“Is this land everything you thought it would be? Surely the soil remembers the children of Shinjo.”

[Otaku Chi-Pu]

"I never gave it much thought to be honest. I wasn't sure what to expect. I just wanted to be out of the Shadows. The longer we stayed there, the worse it became. So I suppose the direct answer your your question is yes, it is everything I thought it would be, in that we don't have to worry about what once we did."

Chi-Pu pulls at the reins and Tianma stops abruptly. She motions with her legs and digs a heel in to the warhorse, causing it to stand tall on its hind legs. Chi-Pu adjusts in her saddle to stand with the horse as it rises.

[Moto Khulun]

“Perhaps we should return to the Shadow lands and remove the blight,” Khulun replies.